Baby Steps
by EmAino
Summary: Six months after Long Road Home, Leo and Greenlee discover that life still has some surprises in store for them. Ch. 23 up
1. Chapter 1: Good News and Bad News

{Author's notes: Not claiming to own the show or the characters that are not unique to this story...just a fan writing about them. Also, just a reminder that this is a sequel to "A Father's Love" and "Long Road Home" so you might want to check those out (primarily Long Road Home) if you haven't already. This story is going to follow many of the same storylines that appeared on AMC, but seeing as how Leo is alive and well, some of those might be tweaked just slightly. Enjoy!}  
  
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Baby Steps  
  
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Chapter One: Good News and Bad News  
  
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October 2003  
  
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"Would you quit pacing?" Greenlee du Pres asked from where she was sitting on the examination table. The petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair focused her equally brown eyes on the tall, brown-haired man pacing around the small hospital room. "You're making me nervous!"   
  
"I can't help it, Greenlee." the man replied, stopping in his tracks. He opened his arms innocently. "I'm just wondering where Joe is. I mean, we've been in here for about an hour already!"   
  
"We've only been in here for about five minutes, Leo." Greenlee chuckled, holding her stomach. "Just relax. It's not like I'm dying or something."   
  
"No." Leo argued, stuffing his one of his hands into his pants pockets. "But you have been sick every morning for about a week now." He ran his free hand through his short, brown hair. "We both know what that's a symptom of."   
  
Just as Greenlee was about to point out that it could be a virus of some sort, the door to the room opened. Dr. Joe Martin, an elderly man with a kind aura about him, entered the room and smiled at Leo and Greenlee.   
  
"I have your test results back from the lab." he announced, holding up the paperwork in his hands. His usual smile widened. "Congratulations!"   
  
Neither having the ability to speak, Leo and Greenlee only exchanged shocked glances before turning back to the older man in front of them. Leo rubbed his throat as if to clear something blocking his vocal chords.   
  
"You mean…" he started but found himself unable to finish.   
  
"Yes, Leo." Joe said, putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "In about seven or eight months, you're going to be a father."   
  
Greenlee and Joe started discussing what the next step would be from that point, but Leo heard none of it. Stunned, he sat down in a wooden chair away from the two and put his head in his hands. A million feelings filled the insides of him; worry being the chief one. Was he really ready to be a father? What did he know about being one anyway when he had never had one growing up? What if du Pres made a mistake, and messed his child up for life?   
  
"Hello?" a worried Greenlee said, waving her hand in front of his face. Leo looked up to see that not only had Joe left the room, but also Greenlee had moved from the examination table to standing right in front of him. He dropped his hands. "Are you okay?"   
  
"Yeah." Leo lied as Greenlee sat down on his lap.   
  
"Liar." Greenlee lightly chuckled as she rubbed his back. "We're going to do all right, Leo. Both of us." A smile lingered on her face. "Besides, since when have we ever backed away from a challenge?"   
  
"Never." Leo shook his head. He still wasn't feeling too sure about the whole baby thing, but he made a conscious decision to not dwell on it too much. Instead, he grinned as he scooped Greenlee into his arms and stood up. "So, shall we go and spread the good news?"   
  
"You're going to carry me to the car?" a surprised Greenlee realized.   
  
"Don't want you to trip and fall, do I?" Leo smiled as the pair reached the door. The tall, brown-haired man stopped in his tracks. "You can get the door, right?"   
  
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"You shouldn't have carried me out of the hospital, and all the way up here." a concerned Greenlee said as Leo sat down on the couch in the middle of the pair's living room. She had remained in Leo's arms from the parking lot, and as they took the elevator all the way up to their penthouse loft. "You could have really hurt yourself."   
  
"I'm fine, Greens." a chuckling Leo waved off, even though he was a bit out of breath. "It's just that I haven't done anything like that since being shot."   
  
His father's old bodyguard and his mother's ex-fiancé, Marius Wolfe, had shot Leo in the chest six months prior. Due to it being at close range, it had been a miracle that Leo had even survived, much less regained his health.   
  
"Still, maybe we should call David." a now standing Greenlee suggested as she picked up Leo's feet and put them on the couch, so that he was now lying down. She was referring to his older, half-brother who was a world famous cardiologist.   
  
"Why? I just had an exam with him the other day, and he said that I was doing better than expected." a smiling Leo asked, knowing full well that David, being the older brother that he was, would only overreact if Greenlee told him what Leo had done.   
  
Suddenly, the phone rang and halted any further conversation. Seeing it on the coffee table next to him, Leo grabbed it.  
  
"Du Pres residence." he answered cordially.   
  
"Leo, it's Anna." came the reply. Leo knew that it was Anna Devane, David's ex-wife, who had moved to Paris a month ago. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news."   
  
"Bad news?" a worried Leo repeated, sitting up again. Those words had also gotten Greenlee's attention and she sat down next to her husband. "Anna, what's wrong?"   
  
"It's your father."   
  
To be continued.... 


	2. Chapter 2: Off to Paris!

{Author's Notes: Thanks for all of the kind reviews!}  
  
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Chapter Two: Off to Paris!   
  
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Feeling as if someone just punched him in the stomach, Leo could feel the worry rise in him. Although he had only known his father, the Count Guy du Pres, for about a year, the pair was as close as a father and son should be. The tall, brown-haired man put his head in his free hand for support, and could feel Greenlee wrap her arms around him.   
  
"Tell me, Anna." Leo pleaded, hoping that the worst had not come true.   
  
"He's in the hospital with some sort of heart problem." Anna reported, slightly easing Leo's fears. At least, Guy was still alive. "The doctors are doing tests to determine exactly what it is, but they don't know if he'll..."   
  
"God." Leo said weakly, closing his eyes. A couple of tears trickled down his cheeks as he prayed silently for God to keep his father alive.  
  
"I've talked to your stepmother." Anna continued, "She's agreed to send the private jet for you. It should be arriving in Pine Valley in a few hours."   
  
"Good." a shaken Leo replied, opening his eyes. "Good. Uh…just tell Dad to hang on until I get there, all right?"   
  
"I will." Anna agreed before hanging up the phone.   
  
"What's wrong?" a worried Greenlee asked as Leo hung up and put his head in his hands. "What's happened to Guy?"   
  
"He's in the hospital." Leo reported, not looking up. "Some sort of heart problem."   
  
"Oh, Leo." Greenlee sympathized, rubbing her husband's shoulder.  
  
"He's going to be okay though." a man said as the door to the penthouse opened. The dark-haired stranger had dark eyes, a cocky demeanor, and a suitcase in his hand.  
  
"David?" a surprised Leo said, standing up. "What are you…"   
  
"Anna called and told me about your father." David replied as Leo walked over to him. "If it's all right with you, I would like to go and see what I can do to help him."   
  
"Hopefully you'll live up to your motto." a teasing Leo commented with a weak grin. "I mean, you supposedly save lives..."   
  
"Yeah, yeah." David replied, playfully tossing Leo's hair.   
  
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"Too bad Greenlee couldn't come." David remarked as the two brothers wound their way through the crowded terminal at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.   
  
"With the whole Sexiest Man contest ending, Fusion needs her." Leo shrugged, trying to avoid running into anybody. A battered duffel bag was clenched firmly in his hand. "She promised to fly out in a few days though." A thought suddenly struck him. "I wonder if it's all right for her to fly."   
  
"Why wouldn't it be?" David wondered, glancing at his younger brother.   
  
"God, we didn't tell you!" Leo realized, slapping his forehead. He smiled at the dark-haired man next to him. "We just found out that Greenlee's pregnant."   
  
"Preg…" David said, stopping in his tracks. A smile crossed his face as he caught up to Leo again. "Congratulations, little brother."   
  
"Thanks." Leo nodded.   
  
"Although I'm not really surprised." David replied with a shrug. "The way you two go at each other, I'm just surprised that this didn't happen sooner."   
  
"Well, life got in the way." Leo shrugged, thinking about how he had been forced into hiding and presumed dead for eight months, and then, how there had been his recuperation from being shot.  
  
"So, when is she due?" David asked as the two brothers exited the airport.  
  
"Seven or eight months Joe said." Leo replied as he noticed a burly man holding a sign with his name on it. Recognizing the man as Pierre, the head of Guy's security staff, Leo smiled and walked over.   
  
"Leo!" the burly man greeted upon seeing the tall, brown-haired man. "Bon pour vous voir!" (Good to see you!)  
  
"De même, Pierre. (The same, Pierre.)" Leo replied as David joined the pair. The younger man had to smile, as Hayward couldn't speak French at all.   
  
"Est-il ce votre frère? (Is this your brother?)" Pierre asked, pointing at David. "Le docteur? (The doctor?)"   
  
"What's he saying about me?" David asked in a hushed tone to Leo. He had been able to figure out what docteur was supposed to mean, as it was close enough to its English equivalent.   
  
"Just wanting to know if you're my brother, the doctor." Leo replied before turning back to the broad-shouldered man in front of the pair. "Oui, c'est David.(Yes, this is David.)" A mischievous grin flashed across Leo's face. "Il ne sait pas le français.(He doesn't know French.)"   
  
"Il nous déteste probablement en ce moment.(He probably hates us at the moment.)" Pierre chuckled. Seeing the baffled look on David's face, Leo also laughed. As the two quit, Pierre looked genuinely at Leo. "Bien, nous avons eu pour arriver mieux à l'hôpital.(Well, we'd better get to the hospital.) "   
  
"Partons.(Let's go.)" Leo agreed as Pierre headed for the driver's seat of a nearby black car. Motioning towards the back of the car, the tall, brown-haired man turned to his dark-haired, older brother. "Shall we?"  
  
"Remind me to learn French." David replied, climbing in.   
  
To be continued... 


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting the Countess

Chapter Three: Meeting the Countess

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"This has to be the right hall." David commented as the elevator door shut behind the two brothers. A smile crossed the dark-haired man's face. "We've been down all of the others."

After a bit of a drive from Paris, the pair had finally arrived at the hospital in the east of France. The old building was only a few minutes drive from the Chateau du Pres, the ancestral home of the du Pres family. Leo had stayed there when he had been forced into hiding from his mother's organization a year or so ago.

"Yeah." the tall, brown-haired man nodded, looking down both sides of the hall that spanned in front of them. "But, which way?"

"That should be easy to figure out by reading the room numbers." a brown and gray-haired man commented as he walked up to the pair. A friendly look was present in his hazel eyes.

"Dr. Jacot." Leo greeted with a smile, recognizing his doctor.

"I wondered if you had been contacted, Leo." the doctor smiled, "I know that your father would want you here if something happened to him."

"How is he?" a worried Leo asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"He's stable for now." Jacot replied before turning to David. "And I'm assuming that you're Dr. Hayward."

"Yeah." David nodded.

"I'm Henri Jacot, the chief of staff at this hospital." the brown and gray-haired man introduced as he offered his hand to shake. "I'm also a very old friend of the du Pres family." He nodded at Leo. "I took care of your brother while he was in hiding."

"Pleasure to meet you." David smiled, shaking the other man's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Jacot assured, "Thanks to Ms. Devane's advanced warning, I've gotten clearance for you to work at this hospital and on the Comte's case." He started down the hall, and the two brothers followed him. "Our only remaining obstacle is asking his wife to allow you to see him."

"His wife?" an anxious Leo repeated. He had never met any of Guy's family before, and he was worried about how they would take to him. After all, he was the Count's illegitimate child from an alcohol-driven, one night stand. He slowly rubbed his forehead as he continued walking, and paid little attention to the details of Guy's condition, which were being discussed by the two men in front of him. Leo tried to ignore the sudden desire to run the other way.

The trio suddenly entered what Leo assumed was the family waiting room. The only occupant, an elegant looking, elderly woman with shoulder-length, straight, blonde or white hair, rose from her comfortable seat as they entered. Dr. Jacot led David over to the woman, but Leo found himself stopping and staying by the door.

"Is there a problem, Henri?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"No." Jacot assured, putting his hand up. "No. Your husband is doing just fine." He motioned towards David. "This is David Hayward. I believe that Ms. Devane told you about him already."

"Oui." the woman nodded, looking at David. However, Leo could swear that her eyes had strayed over to him for a moment. "She mentioned that you're one of the best cardiologists in the world."

"I'll have to thank her for the rare compliment." David chuckled.

"So, it's all right if he works on Guy's case." Dr. Jacot assumed.

"Of course," the woman nodded, looking back to Jacot. "I know that Guy would want that."

"Good." Jacot nodded before turning to David. "We should get started immediately. We've got him stable for now, but that could very well change."

"Just show me where to scrub in." David smiled as the pair headed out for the door. As they passed the nervous looking Leo, David stopped briefly and put a reassuring hand on his younger brother's shoulder. He lowered his voice. "You'll be fine."

As the door shut behind the two doctors, Leo contemplated opening it and following after them or going somewhere that was not this room. Swallowing the massive lump that was in his throat, he looked over to see the woman watching him with an interested look.

"Did you have a good flight?" she inquired.

"Yes." Leo replied in a voice quieter than usual. He wondered if she knew who he was, and, if she did, how she felt about him.

"I'd imagine that you'd like to get back on that plane to America." the woman chuckled as she walked over to him. "We haven't been formally introduced. I am the Countess Madeline du Pres." She smiled widely at him. "It's nice to meet you, Leo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Countess." Leo nodded.

"Please call me Madeline." the older woman requested, "Countess is too formal for a stepson to use." Her blue eyes narrowed slightly. "You seem nervous. What's wrong?"

"Well, I know that this can't be easy for you." Leo replied, looking at the floor. "Considering the circumstances surrounding my birth."

"Oh, I don't blame you for that." Madeline replied, putting a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. "You're just as much of a victim of what happened that night, if not more." Regretfully, she shook her head. "If only Guy and I had known…"

"I wish you had too." Leo nodded, thinking about how bad his childhood with his mother, Vanessa, had been. Since he had been dragged around from country to country, he had never really gotten a proper education, nor what could be considered a real childhood.

"Where are you and your brother staying?" Madeline inquired, deciding to change the subject in an attempt to lighten the younger man's mood.

"I think we were just going to get a motel someplace." Leo replied honestly.

"That's nonsense." Madeline stated, "Why pay for some place when the two of you would be most welcome at the chateau?" She paused and her friendly blue eyes focused on Leo. "Although, I would definitely understand if you would rather not stay there after those long eight months."

"It's not that." Leo assured with a smile. "It's just that David and I really don't want to be a burden…"

"You wouldn't be." Madeline said, shaking her head. "The chateau is big enough to accommodate two more people, and I know that your father would want you to stay there."

"I guess that I can't say no to that." Leo replied with a shrug.

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As Leo slowly opened the door, the all too familiar surroundings of the top room of one of the Chateau du Pres' many turrets came into view. The tall, brown-haired man had spent the majority of his time in hiding in this very room, and was a bit depressed that he once again found himself calling it home, even if it was for a short while. Shutting the door behind him, Leo mindlessly set his duffel bag down on the wooden chair in between the door and the queen-sized bed as he looked around.

As his brown eyes finally landed on that same chair, Leo felt a wave of sadness rush through his body. It hadn't been uncommon for the younger du Pres to wake up during the first couple months of his stay at the chateau, when he was still injured from his fall at Millers' Falls, and find his father sitting there.

His eyes suddenly drifted to the ring on his finger, the one he wore just below his wedding band. It was the signet ring of the du Pres family, which every male in the family wore. It was then that Leo remembered how his father had also been sitting in that chair when the older Frenchman had told Leo that they were in fact father and son, and had given him that very ring.

Not wanting to remember anymore, Leo layed fully down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. A sense of anger at his situation filled him. He wanted to do something! Guy had done so much for him those eight months, and now this was all Leo could do in return? Lie there and pray for his father's recovery? It just wasn't fair!

"You look like you could use some good news." David said, getting Leo's attention. The dark-haired, older doctor stood just inside the room and was closing the door behind him. He smiled gently at his younger brother.

"David." Leo said, sitting up against the headboard. "How is he?"

"Well, the tests show that your father has bacterial pericarditis." David replied as if he was just stating that Guy had a bad cold.

"Bacterial peri-what?" a confused Leo asked.

"Bacterial pericarditis." David repeated, "It's extremely rare and can be fatal if not caught in time." Seeing a worried look fast appearing on Leo's face, the older man put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Luckily, we caught your father in time and it can be easily treated with antibiotics and bed rest."

"So, he's going to be fine?" Leo asked hopeful.

"Well, he still might need surgery if the damage is significant enough." David stated, rubbing his brow in weariness. "Dr. Jacot is doing tests right now to determine that." He shrugged his shoulders. "But if not, I think that your father might be able to come home in a few days."

"That's good." Leo said, feeling as if a two-ton weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. Sitting up fully, he wrapped his arms around his brother and embraced David tightly. "Thank you so much, David."

"Hey." David replied, hugging back. "I was only happy to help." A deep laugh escaped him as the two brothers seperated. "Now if you had asked me to save our mother, that would have been a different story."

"I know." Leo yawned, stretching his arms out above him.

"Looks like someone wants their rest." David noticed, "Then again, you have been through a lot. Finding out that Greenlee was pregnant and about your father all in one day?"

"I don't want be an ungracious host though." Leo said, putting his arms down. The tall, brown-haired man cocked his head slightly. "Have you gotten settled into a room?"

"Not yet." David shook his head. "The Countess was busy on the phone when I arrived, so Pierre showed me up here." He smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty nice place."

"Like you can imagine, it's been in the family for quite awhile." Leo said as a chuckle escaped him. "Dad will be more than happy to fill you in on its history, believe me." A deep sigh escaped the younger man. "Of course, I stayed in this very room a lot when I was in hiding." He shook his head. "Seemed more like a prison at times than a bedroom."

"I'd imagine." David sympathized, shaking his head as well.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two brothers as Leo flashed back to more various events from those eight months and David thought about how much he wished that he could have helped his younger half-brother out in some fashion.

"You know," Leo said, looking at David. "I am pretty tired, now that I think about it."

"Well," David replied, standing up. "I'll let you get your sleep then."

"You remember the way down?" Leo inquired.

"I think so." David nodded confidently. "Goodnight, little brother."

"Goodnight, David." Leo returned, shutting the door behind his brother.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4: Starting the Day Off Right

Author's notes: I am really, really, really, REALLY sorry for how late this is. I had writer's block for a bit, followed by my computer freaking out if I even dared get near the internet (I hate spyware). Thanks for the reviews, and again, my apologies!

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Chapter Four: Starting the Day Off Right

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As sunlight from the room's only window began pouring over the bed, a groggy Leo groaned and rolled onto his other side. His arm flopped across the bed and landed on a strange form. Puzzled, he traced the object with his hand and came to the conclusion that someone was laying in bed next to him.  
  
"Good morning, sleepyhead." a smiling Greenlee greeted quietly as Leo's eyes began to open. The smile was instantly repeated on du Pres' face.  
  
"When did you get in?" the still half-asleep Leo asked.  
  
"A few hours ago." Greenlee replied, gently brushing Leo's hair with her hand. "I told Ryan about your situation. He asked if I was crazy, and demanded that I get to you as fast as I could."  
  
"Remind me to thank him." Leo smiled, slowly rubbing a hand up and down his wife's hip. Upon feeling what he guessed was some sort of silk dress or nightgown, he let out a slight groan of disappointment. "Did you have to keep your clothes on?"  
  
"I didn't think that you'd be up to that kind of thing," a grinning Greenlee admitted, rubbing her husband's chest under the covers. "Considering what's going on with your father and the fact that we're in his house."  
  
"As well as the fact that someone is standing right outside your door." an older woman with brown hair and a British accent commented as she walked in. She shrugged her shoulders as she closed the door behind her. "That is unless voyeurism turns you on."  
  
"Anna!" the pajama bottom-clad Leo greeted as he got out of bed and hugged his ex-sister-in-law. "This is a surprise."  
  
"Shouldn't really be." Anna replied, hugging Leo back. "After all, someone had to pick up Greenlee from the airport." As the two broke apart, Anna kept her hands on the younger man's shoulders. "Anyway, the Countess sent me up here to wake you two up for breakfast." She smiled over at Greenlee. "Apparently, she's really looking forward to meeting you, Greenlee."  
  
"We'll be down the minute I get dressed." Leo promised, walking over to the dresser to get some clothes. "Don't worry. I'm pretty sure that I know the way down."  
  
"I would hope so." Anna laughed, leaving the room to give Leo privacy.  
  
"I hope she has to wake David up." Leo chuckled, crossing the room over to the closet to retrieve a pair of black leather pants. "Give him the shock of his life."  
  
"Yeah." Greenlee agreed with a nod. "So, what's the Countess like?"  
  
"She seems really nice and sincere. She took me better than I thought she would." Leo smiled as he changed from his pajama bottoms to his pants. "She's like the exact opposite of Vanessa."  
  
"So, she won't try to kill me?" Greenlee laughed before suddenly stopping and putting a hand to her stomach. Leo's brow furrowed in worry and he immediately sat down next to his wife.  
  
"Greens?" he asked, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." Greenlee assured, crossing her arms over her stomach. "But breakfast isn't sounding too good right now."  
  
"Morning sickness." Leo quietly sympathized, putting an arm around his wife and gently rubbing her back. As a smile crossed her face, the tall man bent down and kissed the top of his wife's head. However, it wasn't long before Greenlee gently pushed him away and headed straight into the nearby bathroom.

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"Is something wrong?" Madeline asked as Leo and Greenlee descended the last of the white marble steps into the main hall. Worry was clear in her blue eyes, and she brushed a strand of white hair behind her ear. "You two are late for breakfast."  
  
"There's something that I didn't tell you last night." Leo replied, keep his arm around Greenlee. "I was going to, but I thought it would be best to wait until Greenlee was here, so we could share the news together." A smile crossed Leo's face as he noticed that a curious Anna had also wandered into the hall. "She's pregnant."  
  
"That's fantastic!" a happy Madeline exclaimed, hugging Leo tightly. "Oh, your father is going to be thrilled when he finds out."  
  
"Congratulations!" Anna added as she walked over to the trio.  
  
"And it is simply wonderful to finally meet you, my dear." Madeline smiled as she turned to hug Greenlee. "Guy has told me so much about you and your deep passion for Leo."  
  
"It's nice to meet you too, Countess." the petite, brown-haired woman nodded in agreement as she hugged the older woman back.  
  
"Oh, please call me Madeline." the white-haired woman said, "Countess is far too formal for family." She turned back to Leo. "I've spoken with your father via the phone this morning."  
  
"How is he?" a curious Leo inquired, elated that Guy was apparently feeling well enough to use the telephone.  
  
"Better than he has been in days." Madeline replied before chuckling. "Although, I think that seeing Dr. Hayward tipped him off that you were here, because the first question he asked me this morning was how you were. I told him that you were fine, and that you would visit him this morning after breakfast."  
  
"You don't want to go?" a surprised Leo asked.  
  
"I've got to make sure that the chateau is ready for another guest." Madeline replied with a smile. "Your half-sister, Zoe, is coming in."  
  
"I have a sister?" an amazed Leo asked, suddenly feeling the butterflies in his stomach again. While he had gotten lucky that the Countess had taken to him so well, he deeply questioned whether his half-siblings would feel the same way.  
  
"And another brother." Madeline replied, "Guy and I have two children: Jean and Zoe." She sighed. "However, I don't expect that Jean will take to you, Leo. He argues with his father quite frequently, and, sadly, I expect that you will just be another thing that they argue about."  
  
"Don't worry, Madeline." David said from behind Leo. "Leo's used to brothers not accepting him right away." A chuckle escaped the dark-haired doctor. "Trey didn't exactly treat him too well when they first met."  
  
"Hey, Trey wasn't the only one guilty of that." Leo reminded, turning around. "I seem to remember that a certain doctor didn't exactly take to me too well at first, either."  
  
"With the way you acted back then, who could blame me?" David laughed, slapping Leo on the back as they headed into the dining room.  
  
To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5: Jean

Chapter Five: Jean

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The room was far too quiet. That was Leo's first thought upon entering the darkened, clean hospital room where the only sound was the various machines beeping and making other noises in a steady rhythm. Without a sound, a slightly nervous Leo pulled back the curtain that hid the lone bed from view. His father, an elderly Frenchman, lay resting upon the bed, but he opened his blue eyes upon hearing the curtain squeak. A weak smile instantly appeared on his face when he caught sight of Leo.  
  
"I was wondering when you would get here, my boy." the older man commented, sitting up in his bed and spreading his arms out. With a smile, Leo walked over into a hug. "How have you been?"  
  
"Worried." Leo replied, gently hugging his father back.  
  
"Hmm." Guy nodded as the pair separated. However, he kept a hand on his son's arm. "So Dr. Hayward told me last night. I apologize for scaring you, Leo."  
  
"Don't." Leo shook his head as he remembered the two run-ins with death he himself had had. "Think of it as payback for what happened at Millers Falls." The younger man paused for a moment. "Both times."  
  
"Oui." Guy laughed as Leo gently sat down on the side of the bed. "With what you've put me through, it's no surprise that I've ended up with a heart problem!"  
  
"Yeah." Leo chuckled in agreement, "I guess I'm not the most stress-free aspect of your life."  
  
"You're worth the hassle." Guy assured as Greenlee entered the room. Both men turned to look at her. "Greenlee! It does an old man good to see you once again, mon cheri."  
  
"It's always good to see you too, Guy." Greenlee replied, kissing the older man on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Better, thanks to the medication." Guy answered, gesturing to the IV stuck in his arm. "However, Dr. Jacot thinks that I am going to need that surgery after all, so I will probably be in here a little while longer." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "It all depends on what Dr. Hayward thinks."  
  
"You're in good hands." Leo smiled, "I mean, David is one of, if not the, best cardiologists in the world." The younger man's smile widened. "And Greenlee and I have an incentive for you to get better."  
  
"I see." a happy Guy replied as he turned to Greenlee. "And how far along are you, my dear?"  
  
"Only two months." Greenlee replied, putting a hand to her stomach.  
  
"How did you guess?" a stunned Leo inquired, "Did David tell you? I told him not to tell anyone!"  
  
"Relax, my boy." Guy chuckled, putting a hand up. "Your brother kept your secret. Given the way you two are, I've been expecting this to happen for quite awhile." His blue eyes twinkled as he looked at Greenlee and Leo. "Still, congratulations to the two of you. That is wonderful news!"  
  
"Merci." Greenlee smiled as the door opened again. A blonde-haired man dressed in a business suit walked in, but had paused upon seeing Leo and Greenlee. Leo noticed an unfriendly look flash in the stranger's blue eyes as the man, who couldn't be more than a few years older than himself, caught sight of him.  
  
"Did I come at a bad time?" the stranger asked, turning slowly from Leo to Guy, who appeared to recognize him.  
  
"Not at all." an overjoyed Guy replied, shaking his head.  
  
"I wasn't aware that the doctors were allowing you to have company besides family." the man commented, looking once again at Leo and Greenlee.  
  
"This is family." Guy replied, gesturing to Leo. "Jean, this is Leo and his wife, Greenlee." He turned to the two Pine Valley natives. "This is my other son, Jean du Pres."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Leo greeted, standing up and offering his hand. Due to the Countess's warning about Jean being unaccepting of him, the tall, brown-haired man had been dreading this meeting even more than he had before.  
  
"The pleasure is all mine." Jean replied, grasping Leo's hand tightly for only a moment before letting go. Leo could tell that the blonde-haired older man probably had wanted to let go a lot faster, but he was obviously trying to hide the hostility he felt from the recovering Guy.  
  
"Um, Leo." Greenlee suddenly said, holding her stomach. "You know, food is sounding a lot better to me right now." She smiled as she grabbed her husband's hand. "So, why don't we go get some brunch and let Jean and Guy talk?"  
  
"That sounds good." Leo agreed, knowing that Greenlee was most likely trying to get him out of there and away from Jean before something happened. The tall, brown-haired man turned again to his father. "We'll see you again tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Oui." Guy nodded, hugging his youngest son tightly. "I'll be looking forward to it." As he let go of Leo, Greenlee took her turn and, to Leo's bewilderment, Guy whispered something in her ear, which caused her to nod silently.  
  
To be continued....


	6. Chapter 6: Zoe

Chapter Six: Zoe

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"Home already?" a curious Madeline remarked as Leo and Greenlee entered the chateau via the huge double doors out front. A slightly overweight woman who couldn't have been more than a few years older than Leo and Greenlee also looked curiously at them from where she stood behind the elegant, thin Countess. "I wasn't expecting you two for another few hours at least."  
  
"Well, we cut our visit short." Leo replied, putting a hand to the back of his neck. "We didn't want to tire out Dad out."  
  
"Jean also showed up." Greenlee said, knowing that Leo was probably planning on leaving that part of the story out. "He took to Leo like you thought he would."  
  
"Oh, dear." Madeline sighed, putting a weary hand to her forehead.  
  
"It wasn't that bad." Leo assured, shooting Greenlee a look for even bringing the whole situation up. "He seemed to keep most of his bitterness hidden." He shook his brown-haired head. "I think he realized that it wouldn't be good for Dad to be around that right now."  
  
"No." Madeline agreed with a deep sigh. "No, it wouldn't."  
  
"So, who is this?" Greenlee asked, looking at the stranger.  
  
"I was waiting for one of you to ask that," the woman giggled, causing her shoulder-length, straight, blonde hair to bounce. A smile remained on her face after the laughter died, and her blue eyes fixed themselves on Leo. "I'm Zoe du Pres, your half-sister."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Leo said, offering his hand to shake. He could feel the butterflies start flying around his stomach again, but the nervousness soon waned as Zoe pulled him into a tight hug.  
  
"It's wonderful to finally meet you." Zoe commented as Leo hugged her back. "I've been wanting to ever since Papa first told us about you."  
  
"Really?" a surprised Leo asked as the two separated.  
  
"Of course!" Zoe exclaimed, looking at him. "I mean, how common is it to find out that you have a younger brother that you know nothing about?" Suddenly, she gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't even thinking when I said that."  
  
"That's okay." Leo assured, knowing that Zoe was apologizing for reminding Leo about Trey, his and David's younger half-brother who had been killed the same night that Wolfe shot Leo. He waved both her apology and the memories off. "No harm done."  
  
"Good." Zoe said quietly before turning to Greenlee. "And you must be Greenlee, the woman who has my little brother so enchanted. Papa's told me all about you too, of course." She hugged the petite, brown-haired woman. "It's nice to meet you too."  
  
"Likewise." Greenlee replied, hugging the older woman back. "I'm sure that your little niece or nephew would agree with that as well."  
  
"No way!" Zoe gasped in surprise, keeping her hands on Greenlee's shoulders. "You're pregnant?"  
  
"Two months." Greenlee smiled as Zoe hugged her once more.  
  
"That's awesome!" an enthusiastic Zoe smiled back, "We'll have to go shopping sometime when we all get back to the States." Seeing the confusion on Leo and Greenlee's face, she decided to clarify. "I live in New York, so Pine Valley's not too far away." She turned to Leo with a grin. "You don't know how tempted I've been to come down a state and meet you before this."  
  
"Really?" Leo inquired, still trying to get used to the idea that his new sibling already seemed to like him. Of course, he was starting to like the bubbly woman himself.  
  
"Yeah." Zoe nodded before turning back to Madeline, who had just been watching the proceedings with a smile. "Anyway, I hope that the cooks have been busy, because I'm absolutely famished."  
  
"I do believe that a superb brunch has been cooked up." Madeline smiled as she looked over at Greenlee. "I thought that food would be sounding all right to you by now."  
  
"Merci, Madeline." Greenlee said as she watched Madeline and Zoe head into the nearby dining room. As the door closed behind them, the petite, brown-haired woman turned to Leo. "A sibling of yours that I've liked instantly? The world must be coming to an end."  
  
"She's not too bad." Leo agreed with a smile.  
  
"Not too bad?" Greenlee grinned, hugging her husband around his stomach. "Only if you mean that she's the reason that you're beside yourself with happiness right now."  
  
"You mean, besides the fact that my dad is doing better," Leo pointed out as Greenlee rested her head against his chest. In retaliation, he gently stroked her hair with his hand. "And the fact that we're soon going to be a family of three."  
  
"Speaking of that," Greenlee said, suddenly pulling away from him and putting a hand to her stomach. "Baby is telling me that it's time to eat something. Want to go in and join your mother and sister?"  
  
"You go ahead." Leo replied, nodding at the dining room door. "I think that I'm going to go catch a nap upstairs. I was so worried about Dad that I really didn't sleep too well last night."  
  
"Okay." Greenlee smiled as she got to her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Sweet dreams."  
  
After Greenlee headed into the dining room, Leo stared at the place his wife had just stood for a moment before starting up the huge, white marble steps to the rest of the chateau. He got about halfway up to the first floor when the front doors opened again. Turning around, Leo paused immediately upon seeing Jean walk in. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, older man must have spotted Leo as well, because he also stopped in his tracks.  
  
"Jean." Leo greeted cordially, heading back down the stairs. The tall, brown-haired man knew that what was likely to follow wouldn't be pleasant, but he at least had to make an attempt to get his brother to like him, didn't he?  
  
Saying nothing, Jean simply looked angrily at Leo, who fumbled around in his mind for something to further the conversation as it may be his only shot at connecting with this newfound older brother.  
  
"How was Dad when you left?" he asked.  
  
"Fine." Jean replied quickly.  
  
"Did he find out when his surgery is?" a curious Leo continued.  
  
"No." Jean answered before finally pushing past Leo and continuing on into the dining room. Rubbing the back of his head, Leo simply watched the blonde haired man walk off. As the doors shut again to the formal dining room, Leo sighed and looked to the white marble floor beneath him.  
  
"Not exactly a Hallmark moment." Anna remarked sympathetically from where she stood halfway up the staircase. The brown-haired, older woman smiled down at Leo as he looked up.  
  
"Not as bad as it could have been." Leo shrugged as his ex-sister-in-law walked down to him.  
  
"Always the optimistic one." Anna smiled.  
  
"Someone in my family had to be." a chuckling Leo replied, "By the way, thanks for thinking to call David about this whole Guy situation…"  
  
"No need to thank me, Leo." Anna waved off, "I knew that you would have enough to deal with, and the thought probably wouldn't even cross your mind."  
  
Just when he was about to reply to Anna's comment and praise her ability to keep a cool head in a crisis, Leo's cell-phone went off in his back pocket.  
  
"Excuse me." he said politely to Anna as he pulled it out. "Leo du Pres."  
  
"Leo! Bonjour, mon ami." the person on the other line said in a really bad French accent. It took Leo a minute to realize that it was his best guy friend, Ryan Lavery, back in Pine Valley. "How are things in France?"  
  
"You need to keep practicing, man." Leo laughed, "That accent sounded more like Austrian than French." He shrugged his shoulders. "But it could have also passed for a really lousy Swedish."  
  
"Ah, whatever." Ryan dismissed with a chuckle, "I was just trying to take your mind off things." His tone turned more serious. "How's your dad?"  
  
"Good." Leo nodded as Anna gestured that she was going. He silently waved at her. "Greens and I visited him this morning, and he looks good." The tall, brown-haired man sat on the white marble steps. "However, these fluid sacs might have built up around his heart, so he still might need surgery."  
  
"Glad to hear that he's doing better." Ryan commented as Leo could hear faint voices in the background. "Make sure to tell him that a lot of people back here are pulling for him to make a complete recovery."  
  
"I'm positive that he will." Leo said, resting his opposite elbow on the step behind him. "I mean, David's working on him and they don't come much better than him, right?"  
  
"Doctor-wise, no." Ryan replied as Leo heard someone yell in the background. "Otherwise, well…"  
  
"Where are you?" a curious Leo asked as another yell was heard.  
  
"Fusion." Ryan answered. "Simone and Kendall are getting into it over something while simultaneously asking me every two seconds how you and your father are doing." He paused as Leo thought he heard something break in the background. "I've got to go, man. They look like they're about to fight or something."  
  
"Take it easy, Ryan." Leo said as he hung up his cell-phone.  
  
To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations of Skin and Secre...

Author's Notes: A big THANK YOU to everyone who still reading this story even through my long periods of inactivity and writer's block...I really appreciate it!

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Chapter Seven: Revelations of Skin and Secrets

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"Taa-daa!" Greenlee announced as she walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom in the turret later that night. The petite woman with shoulder-length brown hair had changed into a black lace and satin nightgown that left little to the imagination. From where he was laying on the bed, Leo immediately set down the magazine he had been browsing and sat up slowly. A chuckle escaped Greenlee as she noticed her husband's reaction and she spun around slowly. "What do you think?"

"I think I like." Leo commented, walking over behind her and wrapping his arms around her. A smile appeared on Greenlee's face as she felt the very familiar warmth and security that radiated from him. "I also think that it would look better crumpled up on the floor."

"Hmm." Greenlee replied, resting her head against his chest and looking up into Leo's eyes. "You remember how your father whispered something into my ear at the hospital?"

"Yeah." a curious Leo nodded.

"Well," Greenlee replied with a mischievous grin. "He asked me to do my best to take your mind off of things, like his condition and Jean. This is what I came up with."

"It definitely takes my mind off of anything else." Leo shrugged, sitting back down on the bed. "Remind me to thank Dad for the suggestion."

"Don't thank him yet," the still-smiling Greenlee whispered as she sat down on Leo's lap.

Feeling Greenlee's lips touch his own, Leo felt a wave of passion surge through him and he pulled his wife closer to him. As they continued to kiss each other passionately, Greenlee slowly moved her hands from Leo's back to the front of his shirt, which she quickly unbuttoned and threw aside like a rag. He pulled her towards him as the pair fell back upon the bed, still savoring the taste of each other. Leo could suddenly feel Greenlee finger the button of his pants.

"Oh, geeze!" a startled David exclaimed as the door to the room came flying open. Greenlee and Leo looked up from the bed at the suddenly red-faced doctor, who hid his eyes behind his hand. "I knew that I should have knocked first!"

"It could have been a lot worse, David." a shrugging Leo laughed as Greenlee got off of him and threw Leo's nearby robe around her.

"Thank you for that visual, little brother." David shuddered, rubbing his brow to clear the mental image.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that." a curious Leo said as the tall, brown-haired man sat up again. "At what time during the pregnancy, do we have to stop having…"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Leo!" David exclaimed, looking at his younger half-brother in disbelief. "Can't you just abstain until the baby comes?" An awkward silence filled the room as the two brothers just exchanged looks. Sighing, David shook his head again. "Forgot who I was asking."

"So, what do you want, David?" a curious Greenlee inquired, knowing that the dark-haired man, as tired as he seemed to be, would not have climbed all of the way to the top of the turret unless the news was urgent.

"Well, the Count's surgery has been scheduled for tomorrow morning." David said, sitting down in the wooden chair next to the bed. "And I'm afraid that I'm going to have to leave for Pine Valley immediately after that."

"Why?" Leo asked, wondering why his brother was leaving so suddenly.

"Erica called me." David replied, referring to Erica Kane, an acquaintance of all present parties and Pine Valley's most notorious resident. "The police are turning up the heat on all of the suspects in the Michael Cambias investigation."

"And leaving the country, no matter what the reason, isn't going to make anyone look good." Greenlee reasoned.

"Bingo." David nodded before looking at Leo. "I guess Erica also heard that your name has been added to the list of possible suspects, little brother."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me." Leo grinned, folding his arms behind his head as he layed back against the pillow. His thoughts turned to the mystery of who really did kill Michael Cambias, the man that had raped Bianca Montgomery (who was like a younger sister to Leo) and had walked free. "If there's trouble in Pine Valley, my name always seems to be connected somehow."

"Well," a serious David said, looking at his younger brother. "I know that you certainly had the motive, and, since the probable weapon was a .38 caliber handgun, I know that you had the means. The only thing that I don't know if you had the opportunity." His dark eyes narrowed and watched his younger half-brother's every move carefully, letting Leo know that, unlike he had in the past, there would be no dodging the question this time. "Tell me where you were that night, Leo. Were you anywhere near Michael's condo?"

"I was going to be." Leo admitted with a gulp. His thoughts turning to his actions that fateful night many months before.

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Hearing a soft snore come from Greenlee, Leo opened one of his eyes. The petite woman was laying sound asleep next to him, and du Pres was forced to smile himself upon seeing the peaceful one on his wife's face. She was clearly far away in her own dream world, one away from the nightmarish reality clutching Pine Valley. The reality where a criminal could walk away without paying for his crime.

Michael would pay for even thinking about harming Bianca. Leo assured himself of that fact as the tall, brown-haired, above-average looking man slowly got out of bed, carefully not to do anything to wake Greenlee. Scooping up the blue jeans and crimson t-shirt he had worn the previous day, du Pres made his way quietly into the nearby hall. He made sure that the bedroom door was shut quietly and tightly behind him before throwing on the clothes in his hands over his boxers. Next, he slowly walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom/office, carefully not to make a sound and mistakenly wake Greenlee up. His wife was the last person Leo wanted to see right then as he knew that she would only try to talk him out of what he had to do.

The idea that he had to make Michael pay for raping his best friend solidified in Leo's mind upon seeing the first glimmer of the silver and black pistol kept in the safe in front of him. Taking it in his hand, Leo simply stared in awe at the weapon. His father, the Count du Pres, had given it to him months prior to make sure that he stayed safe, and it was the perfect weapon to ensure that his loved ones remained protected as well. Stuffing the weapon in his pants pocket, Leo exited the room and headed for the front door of the penthouse loft.

"What are you doing?" a curious Greenlee asked just as Leo's hand touched the knob on the front door. Her voice suddenly became more upset. "Where are you going with that?"

"With what?" an innocent Leo asked, turning around and holding his arms out innocently.

"That." Greenlee replied as she pointed to Leo's pocket.

Looking down at his pocket, du Pres was stunned to see that the handle of the pistol was sticking out. As he took it out of his pocket, he looked into his wife's eyes and was greeted with a firm, upset look in her wide brown eyes.

"You can't just go and kill Michael, Leo." Greenlee stated.

"Death is the least he deserves." Leo said in a low growl.

"Well, I can't argue with that." Greenlee admitted, walking over.

"Then, don't try to stop me." Leo replied, unlocking the door behind him. He was about to open it when Greenlee put a hand on it, stopping it.

"No," a firm Greenlee said, shaking her head. "I'm not going to lose you again! Not after I just got you back."

"Greenlee." Leo said, wishing that she would just leave him alone.

"Do you really want to throw your life away for one act of revenge?" Greenlee asked, looking deep into the much taller man's eyes. "Is Michael Cambias really worth the lifetime in prison?"

"Bianca needs justice, Greenlee." an honest Leo exclaimed, banging his fist on the door behind him. "The man who raped her needs to pay, and if the criminal justice system doesn't want to do it, then I will!" Suddenly, the man's voice went quiet and his gaze turned to the floor. "Because I couldn't protect her in the first place."

"Don't even go down that road, Leo." Greenlee begged, putting her hands on her husband's shoulders. She could clearly sense the man's anguish over not being able to protect the one who was like a little sister to him.

"I have to do this, Greenlee." Leo replied firmly, turning around. However, the brown-haired man had only managed to take a single step before a massive surge of pain radiated from his chest. Groaning, he wrapped his arms tightly around his body. The unused pistol clattered on the floor. What in the hell was wrong with him?

"Leo?" a concerned Greenlee asked, putting her hands on his back. "Leo?! What's wrong?"

"I need to go to the hospital." a wincing Leo gasped.

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"A flare-up of your gunshot wound?" David guessed as Leo finished telling him the truth. The younger man silently nodded. "I thought so. You were still recovering back then, and it's quite common. Especially in times of stress."

"We've got a copy of the medical bill and report." Greenlee said, knowing that David would ask about that. "And I'm sure that Joe Martin, who was the one to see Leo, will also vouch for us."

"Sounds like your alibi is rock-solid then." a relieved David sighed.

"What about you, David?" a worried Leo asked as the dark-haired, older man stood up. Much like Leo, David had never shared with his brother where he had been that night. "Where were you that night?"

"Don't worry about me, little brother." David smiled, shaking his head. "I'll be fine."

"Okay." Leo nodded, feeling more worried than ever.

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8: Recoveries and Rifts

Chapter Eight: Recoveries and Rifts

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Holding his head in his hands, Leo glanced over to the other side of the waiting room where Jean, Zoe and Madeline all sat in a circle, quietly talking or praying as a group for Guy's health. The tall, brown-haired American had been invited several times by either Madeline or Zoe to join them, but he had thus far declined. Seeing as how he had only known the others for a few days maximum, he still felt more like an outsider than a real family member. And of course, there was the animosity towards him that still radiated from Jean, who shot Leo a glare every once in awhile.

Feeling a hand on his back, the tall, brown-haired man cast his thoughts aside for a moment and turned to look at Greenlee, who was sitting beside him. The pair exchanged silent yet meaningful smiles.

"Thanks, Greenlee." an appreciative Leo said, looking at the floor once more. He knew that the only reason that he was still sane at that point was that Greenlee was there with him.

"He'll be all right, Leo." Greenlee assured, rubbing her husband's back.

The door slowly opening to the waiting room and David walking in halted any further conversation. As the dark-haired man leaned against the door behind him, Leo swore to himself that he could see a relieved look in his brother's eyes, which raised his hopes. Immediately, he got to his feet as did Madeline and Jean.

"He's out of surgery." David announced, taking Madeline's hand gently in his own. "And from the looks of it, he'll make a complete recovery."

"When can I see him?" an excited Madeline inquired as a nurse walked in behind David.

"Now if you want." David replied before turning to the nurse. "Could you please escort the Comte du Pres' wife to the recovery room?"

"Oui." the nurse said as she showed Madeline out of the room.

"Thank you, Dr. Hayward." Jean said, offering his hand to David. As the two men shook hands and exchanged words, Leo watched his newfound, older brother closely. Real gratitude seemed to be present in his blue eyes, instead of the cold hatred Leo had always seen.

"Want to walk David to his car?" Greenlee asked, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Yeah." Leo nodded as the couple followed the unaware David out of the waiting room. "Dr. I Save Lives does it again." The dark-haired man turned around instantly. "And I couldn't be happier that you did."

"It was all for you, Leo." David said, hugging his younger brother. "I didn't want you to go through the pain of losing your father." He shook his head. "Not yet."

"Thank you, David." Leo replied, hugging his brother back. "Did you and Anna get a chance to talk?"

"What would we have to talk about?" a puzzled David asked as the brothers broke their embrace. As he realized that Leo was referring to whether or not David and Anna had worked out what had led them to separate, the cardiologist simply laughed and shook his head. "You're too optimistic sometimes, Leo. Not every love can be a real-life fairy tale."

"Still, she made you happier than I've ever seen you, man." Leo pointed out, "I mean, that's got to count for something, doesn't it?"

"Not enough." David sighed, shaking his head again. "Not after Leora."

Hearing the pain in his brother's voice, especially when he had mentioned his daughter who had died months earlier, Leo regretted even bringing the subject up.

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"Leo!" a happy Zoe exclaimed as the taller, brown-haired man hurried upstairs after breakfast a few days later. The older, blonde-haired, slightly overweight woman was standing on the landing as if she was expecting him. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"What's up?" a curious Leo asked, wondering why his older half-sister would be seeking him out personally.

"Papa is coming home later today," a smiling Zoe announced, causing the smile to invade Leo's face as well. "Mama wants us to convert his library to a bedroom for the time being." She motioned to a nearby room. "Jean's in there, taking one of the guest beds apart, but he's going to need helping carrying it downstairs."

"You do realize that this means that I'm actually going to have to talk to Jean, right?" Leo pointed out, leaning against the railing and rolling his eyes. Truth be told, he had been avoiding his new older half-brother as much as possible. The only real times they had seen each other these past few days was either at the hospital or at meal times when Madeline gathered the family together around the dining room table, where the most that was said between the two was a request for something.

"Yes." Zoe nodded, putting a hand on her brother's back. "It's about time that this stupid little game of you two avoiding each other ended."

Feeling butterflies once again fly around in his stomach, Leo wondered if it was too late to run back down the stairs and join Greenlee, who was going on a day trip to Paris with Anna. He got his answer when he could feel Zoe grab his arm and pull him after her.

"I found someone to help you." she announced cheerfully as they entered a bedroom, where Jean was currently dismantling a bed frame. The blonde-haired man set down his wrench, got to his feet, and turned around. As usual, resentment filled his blue eyes upon catching sight of Leo, who froze up.

"It's not going to work, Zoe." Jean sighed, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're not giving him a chance." a frustrated Zoe commented.

"I don't want to give him a chance." Jean shook his head.

"Quit being so stubborn, Jean." Zoe replied, glaring at him.

"It's okay, Zoe." Leo assured, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "He's entitled to hate me." He shook his brown-haired head. "I don't blame him at all."

"I'm surprised to here such sense coming from you." Jean commented, looking directly at Leo. "After all, you seem to be too stupid to realize that you're not wanted here."

"Actually, you seem to be the only one that doesn't want me here." Leo replied casually, "Your mother and Zoe here both seem to like me."

"Isn't that a con's first priority?" a smirking Jean asked, "Getting the marks to like and trust you?" He noticed a puzzled look begin to appear on Leo's features. "Don't tell me that you thought that I wouldn't do my research on you, Leo. I know all about your history as a con artist."

"You think that I'm here because I'm trying to pull a con or something?" Leo realized, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Leo's not like that any more, Jean." Zoe defended.

"How do you know?" Jean said, turning and facing his sister. "All we've got to go on, to disprove his reputation, is knowing him for a few days and Father's word." The blonde-haired man shook his head. "How do we know that our little brother here isn't trying to fool Father like his mother did so many years ago?"

"I'm nothing like my mother!" Leo exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, that's right." Jean agreed with a wicked smile. "Unlike her, you haven't had a little accident foil your plans yet."

As it clicked in his brain that Jean was making reference to the night his parents had been together, Leo could feel his blood begin to boil and had to restrain himself from knocking the older man out where he stood.

"How dare you!" someone shrieked from behind Leo. All eyes turned to see a furious looking Greenlee entering the room. The petite, brown-haired woman managed to slap Jean across the mouth before Leo could restrain her. "You have no right to talk to Leo like that!"

"Greenlee." Leo shushed; grabbing his wife around the mid-section before she could kill Jean, like the look in her eyes revealed that she wanted to.

"I'm not just going to stand here and let him talk about you like that, Leo!" Greenlee said, trying to wrestle her husband's arms off of her.

"You're supposed to be avoiding stress." Leo reminded as Jean rubbed the side of his face. "Why don't you and I get out of here, huh? I'm sure Anna's already waiting for you downstairs."

"Just when I thought that I couldn't think any less of you, Leo," Jean remarked, getting the Americans' attention. "You go and hide behind your wife, instead of defending yourself like a real man!"

"Oh yeah, and you're the picture of nobility?" Leo scoffed, shaking his head. "I don't even know why I even thought that I could get close to you!"

"Leo! Jean!" An angry Madeline's voice suddenly shouted from downstairs. "Could the two of you come down here, please?"

Exchanging glares, the two brothers walked out to the top of the stairs and both paused in surprise upon seeing the Count himself standing at the bottom.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9: Always in Trouble

Chapter Nine: Always in Trouble -  
Looking at the clock, Leo rubbed the back of his neck and wondered how long much longer he would have to wait. The Count had sent Jean and Leo to different rooms, where he would talk to each of them individually. Apparently, the elderly man had come home from the hospital earlier than planned and had overheard the argument between his two sons. Sitting down on the couch behind him, Leo put his head in his hands and mentally admonished himself. The Count didn't need the kind of stress that this feud between his two sons was bringing! Not when he was already recovering from major surgery! As he looked into the roaring fire in the fireplace, the tall, above-average looking man decided that maybe it would just be better for everyone if himself and Greenlee, who had gone off (under persuasion from Leo) with Anna, just returned to America as soon as possible. He could pack up Greenlee's things and have her meet him at the airport, and they definitely had enough money to book the next flight home. Nodding, Leo realized that that was definitely what he had to do. 

The door behind Leo creaked open, causing du Pres to stand up and turn around immediately. A weak-looking, but smiling Guy stood just inside the doorway, closing the door behind him. Immediately, Leo hurried over and helped his father walk over to the couch he had just been sitting on.

"Thank you, my boy." an appreciative Guy said as he gently sat down. "I didn't mean to make you wait so long, but Madeline insisted that I take a quick rest after speaking with Jean."

"It's all right, Dad." Leo assured, sitting down himself. "It gave me time to think."

"What did you think about?" an interested Guy asked.

"What I can do to fix the mistake I made." an honest Leo replied. Seeing a puzzled look appear in Guy's blue eyes, the younger du Pres decided to clarify. "I kind of suspected that at least one person in your family would hate me, but I still came here anyway. Even though I knew that you wouldn't need the stress my visit would be sure to bring. I'm sorry for doing that." Finding his resolve quickly evaporating, Leo evaded his father's gaze and looked at the floor. "Greenlee and I are going to fly back home immediately…"

"The hell you are." a firm Guy replied, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere, Leo. Unlike your mother, I'm not going to enable your tendency to run away from life's problems."

"Even though it would be the best thing for everyone?" Leo maintained, unwilling to change his mind. "I mean, Jean and I wouldn't even have to acknowledge that we even knew each other…"

"Do you really think that I want two of my children living like that?" a stunned Guy inquired, looking directly into Leo's eyes. "Pretending to be strangers, instead of the family that you are?"

"But Jean doesn't see me as family." Leo replied, wearily rubbing his face. "And I don't think that he should have to change his opinion. He's got every right to feel the way he does about me."

"He had no right to make that comment, Leo." Guy said, referring to when Jean had called him an accident. "I asked him to apologize to you, but whether or not he'll actually do it…"

"Is being a father always this hard?" Leo heard himself suddenly inquire, but he wasn't sure why he was so surprised. Ever since he had heard Joe Martin exclaim that Greenlee was pregnant, he wanted to ask his own father a million questions.

"Not always." Guy answered, leaning back against the couch. The white-haired man smiled at his son, and put a hand on his knee. "You'll make an excellent father, Leo."

"But I don't know how to be one." a sighing Leo replied, remembering his exact thoughts from that medical office. "I never had a father around when I was growing up, and Vanessa's no example of how to be anything, much less a parent."

"You don't realize it, but you probably do know how to be a father." Guy reassured, looking intently at Leo. "When you were a boy, didn't you ever imagine what I was like?"

"Yeah." Leo admitted with a nod.

"Then, you know all you need to know." Guy smiled, "Just follow the example of what you dreamed was the perfect father, and you'll do just fine, my boy."

"But I only know what I wanted as a child." Leo replied, still not sure.

"All children have the same basic needs and wants, Leo." Guy said before changing the subject. "So, getting back to our original discussion, do you think that you could stick around a few more days, despite of what Jean may say or do? I know that Zoe and Madeline would love to get to know you better, and I would also like it if you and Greenlee stayed around."

"I guess that that would be cool." Leo nodded in agreement.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm really sorry that that walk along the Seine didn't pan out." Leo apologized as he and Greenlee reentered their penthouse apartment. It was a few days later, and the pair had just arrived back in Pine Valley. The tall, brown-haired man shook his head as he shut the door behind him. "The weather just sucked there at the end."

"That's the fifth time you've apologized for that." Greenlee laughed, sitting down on the couch. "Gives us something to go back for, Leo. Don't worry about it."

"It's just that I've been promising it to you for years." Leo started before a knock was heard on the door. Doubling back, the brown-haired man opened it again to find a tall, blonde-haired man waiting for him on the other side. Leo recognized him immediately. "Jack?"

"Leo." Jackson Montgomery, Greenlee's newfound father and the district attorney, greeted with a nod of recognition. "Can I come in for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing." Leo said, motioning inside. As the other man walked in, du Pres couldn't help but wonder if Montgomery was there as Greenlee's father or if he was on official business. Keeping his eyes on the man, Leo shut the front door.

"Why are you here, Jack?" a curious Greenlee asked before Leo could spit the words out.

"Well, for one, I wanted to come by and see how the Count was doing." Jack replied, taking a seat on the sofa next to Greenlee. "I heard through the grapevine that he was having some heart problems."

"He's doing better." Greenlee replied with a smile, "They had to go in and remove some fluid sacs from around his heart, but he's getting back to being his old, charming self again."

"Good." Jack nodded, "That's great news."

"So, why else are you here, Jack?" Leo wondered, still standing nearby.

"Well, unfortunately, Leo," Jack replied, getting to his feet. "your name has come up as a possible suspect in the Michael Cambias murder investigation."

"David warned me about that." a grinning Leo nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I was trying to wait until you had a few days to recover from everything." Jack apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "But there's a lot of heat on our office right now, so…"

"Waiting's not an option." Greenlee realized.

"No." Jack confirmed, shaking his head. "Especially since there is suspicion surrounding you." As Greenlee and Leo both looked puzzled at him, Jack looked sorry to even have to mention this. "I'm afraid that some on the force aren't buying that you left the country because your father was sick."

"Well, what the hell do they think then?" a stunned, angry Leo asked, "That I just left the country for kicks?"

"I don't know, Leo." Jack replied, shaking his head again. "I'm just saying that that's what some misguided people believe." A sigh escaped the older man and he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I've got to take you down to the station for questioning."

"The station?" a stunned Greenlee repeated. "Is that really necessary, Jack?"

"I'm afraid that I've got to do this by the books." Jack nodded before turning to Leo. A sympathetic smile on his face. "You going to come quietly, or resist like usual?"

"I think I'll go quietly this time." Leo replied, returning Jack's smile. "Since I know that I'm innocent."

"Before you take him in," Greenlee suddenly said, walking forward and gently grabbing Jack's hand. "we've kind of got some news for you."

"You do?" a curious Jack inquired, looking back and forth between Greenlee and Leo. "What is it?"

"In about 7 months," a beaming, excited Greenlee reported, "you're going to be a grandfather."

"You're pregnant?" a stunned Jack stammered, looking at Greenlee. The brown-haired, petite woman simply nodded her head, causing her father wrapped his arms around her. "That's wonderful, sweetheart!"

"Well, we thought so." a grinning Leo shrugged as Jack clapped him on the shoulder.

"How did the Count take the news?" Jack asked with a smile.

"He couldn't be happier." Leo replied, widening his own smile. "I think he's already working on figuring out how to spoil the kid rotten."

"As am I." Jack assured with a nod. "As am I."

"Well, we'd better get to the station." Leo said, grabbing his nearby coat.

"Yeah." Jack replied, "I'm still sorry about the timing of all of this, but…"

"It's all right, Jack." Greenlee assured, walking over to Leo. She kissed her tall, above-average looking husband on the cheek. "You, behave yourself."

"I will." Leo replied, kissing her back. "And you, relax. It's not like I haven't done this before."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"This seems all too familiar." Leo sighed, sitting down in the lone chair in front of the desk. The above-average looking man once again found himself in the interrogation room inside of the Pine Valley Police Department. Jack took a seat on the other side of the desk, keeping his eyes on Leo.

"I promise not to keep you too long." Jack said with a bit of sympathy for his son-in-law. "Now, you are aware of the consequences of doing this without a lawyer, right?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded with a smile. "And before you ask, I'm fully aware that I don't have to answer any question that I don't want to."

The door to the room opened before Jack could respond to Leo's comment, getting both men's attentions. David walked quickly in, followed by a brown-haired older woman that Leo recognized immediately as Erica Kane. The dark-haired doctor paused immediately in his tracks upon seeing Leo.

"Leo?" he asked curiously, "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in France."

"Just got back an hour or so ago." Leo replied, checking his watch.

"And you hauled him in for questioning?" an irate David said, turning to Jack. "Oh, for crying out loud, Jack! Do you have any idea of what he's gone through these past few days?"

"Believe me, Hayward." Jack replied firmly, "If I thought that I could wait, I would, but there's a lot of heat on our department right now to catch whomever killed Michael Cambias. And, unfortunately, your brother is a potential suspect."

"But he doesn't even have a lawyer here, Jackson." Erica pointed out, "How can you possibly question him right now?"

"It's all right, Erica." Leo assured, "Since I completely innocent, I don't need one." He turned to look at David. "I already told you where I was that night, David, so you know that I have nothing to hide."

"Why don't you tell me where you were that night, Leo?" Jack asked, getting du Pres' attention once more. "So we can get this all over with."

"All right." Leo nodded, recollecting the events of that night. "I'll admit that I was originally planning on going to Michael's condo that night with my pistol in tow. I wanted to make him pay for what he had done to Bianca. I had just reached the front door to my apartment when Greenlee stopped me, and tried to talk me out of going. She said that she wasn't going to lose me again, not after she had just gotten me back." He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "For some reason, I even shrugged that comment off and headed for the door again. But before I could leave, this massive pain just radiated from my chest, preventing me from even moving. My gunshot wound had decided to flare up, so Greenlee took me to the hospital." He again shook his head. "I wasn't released until well after Cambias' tentative time of death."

"Who saw you that night at the hospital?" Jack inquired, leaning back in his seat.

"Joe Martin." Leo replied as his father-in-law nodded.

"All right." Jack replied, "Why don't you wait outside for a few minutes while I call Joe and investigate the validity of your alibi?"

"Okay." Leo agreed, heading for the door.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! LOL. With my long lapses between chapters, I'm kind of surprised that there are still people reading this. Also, as of this chapter, I'm going to quit doing chapter titles as I'm having trouble coming up with them.

-  
Chapter Ten

-  
"I still can't believe that he dragged you in here for questioning." David commented as he followed Leo into the main area of the Pine Valley Police Department's headquarters. The tall man spun around to see that not only had his older, half-brother followed him out, but Erica Kane had as well. Hayward shook his head. "Especially knowing everything you've gone through this past week."

"He didn't really have a choice, David." Leo replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Like Jack told you, there's been a lot of heat lately to catch whomever killed Michael Cambias." Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his brown hair, which paused on the back of his neck. "Besides the sooner Jack confirms my alibi, the sooner I can put some of this nightmare behind me."

"Well, I, for one, just want to thank you, Leo." Erica said, smiling at du Pres. "I mean you've done so much for Bianca throughout this whole ordeal."

"Not a problem." Leo smiled back, waving off Erica's thanks. "I mean Binks is like a little sister to me." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just doing what any older brother would do."

"So, did you tell Jack the big news yet?" a curious David inquired.

"You really think that Greenlee could keep something like that from him?" Leo replied with a grin.

"What big news?" a curious Erica asked, looking from brother to brother.

"Greenlee's pregnant." a smiling Leo announced, unsure of how the brown-haired, older woman would take the news, seeing as how his wife was one of her major rivals.

"Oh, that's wonderful, Leo." Erica said with a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." an appreciative Leo nodded, "Do you think you could refrain from telling Bianca though? I'd kind of like to tell her myself."

"Not a problem." Erica assured, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder. "She is just going to be ecstatic when she finds out!"

"I'm sure that she will be too." Jack said as the tall, blonde-haired man came out of his office, holding some papers in his hand. Besides being Greenlee's father, Jack was also Bianca's uncle.

"Are those from the hospital?" a curious David inquired.

"Yep," Jack nodded, glancing quickly at them. "And, Hayward, you'll be relieved to know that your brother's name has officially been crossed off as a potential suspect." He shook his head. "There was no way Leo could have done anything that night in his condition." Turning to Leo, Montgomery clapped his son-in-law on the shoulder. "Why don't you go back home now, huh? I'm sure that worrying about you isn't going to help Greenlee right now."

"Yeah, she's supposed to be avoiding stress." Leo replied with a nod. He quickly turned to David with a wide grin. "Just let me know if you need me to come back down here and bail you out, bro."

"You think anyone else in this town would even consider doing it?" David smiled as he quickly hugged his younger half-brother tightly.

-  
"Honey, I'm home." Leo greeted, opening the door to the loft. He was surprised to find another brown-haired man his age sitting on the couch, instead of Greenlee.

"Welcome home, sweetie." Ryan Lavery replied with a wide grin.

"Ryan?" a curious Leo said, looking at his best guy friend. "What are you doing here, man?"

"Just thought I'd catch Greenlee up on the latest Fusion news." Ryan replied, leaning back against the sofa. A smile appeared on his face. "Of course, she had to counter by telling me about your little bit of news." Getting to his feet, he offered Leo his hand. "Congrats, man! You're going to make one hell of a dad."

"Thanks." Leo replied, pulling Ryan into a hug.

"And don't worry about it." Lavery assured as the two separated. "Uncle Ryan will be more than happy to baby-sit on occasion."

"You think I'd actually leave you alone with my kid?" Leo teased, looking at Ryan as if he were crazy. "Keep dreaming."

"Hey." Ryan said in mock offense, lightly punching Leo in the arm.

"I thought that I heard another voice." Greenlee suddenly said as she reentered from the back quarters of the apartment. Instantly, she walked into her husband's waiting arms. "I'm so glad that you're home. Are you okay?"

"Better than okay." Leo nodded, wrapping his arms around the brown-haired, petite woman. "I've been officially been taken off the list of suspects in the Cambias investigation."

"Oh, thank God." Greenlee breathed, resting her head against Leo's chest.

"That's good to hear, man." Ryan echoed with a nod.

"And I told Erica our news." Leo added, causing Greenlee to pull away from him slightly and look up at him. "She actually seemed to be happy for us."

"She's probably happy for you anyway." Greenlee commented before shaking her head. "I doubt that Erica is fond of the idea of a little me running around." She suddenly paused. "Wait. What was Erica doing there in the first place?"

"Her and David were there for some reason." Leo replied with a shrug. "I didn't think to ask why."

"Probably getting questioned themselves." Ryan assumed, nodding.

"God, I hope not." Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "David's been really mysterious about his whereabouts that night, and it's got me worried."

"Well, don't look at me to say that Hayward didn't do it." Ryan replied with a smile. His dislike for the dark-haired doctor was well known by Leo. "I'm sorry, Leo, but your brother is number one on my personal list of suspects."

"He's on a lot of people's." Leo nodded, suddenly looking into the distance. His thoughts were mostly focused on his older half-brother. "That's what has me worried."

-  
"Leo," a tired Greenlee requested, rolling over in bed and facing her husband. With a sympathetic look in her brown eyes, she gently rested a hand on the taller man's bare chest. "You should really try to get some sleep."

"I can't, Greens." Leo sighed deeply, resting his head against the headboard. "I just can't quit thinking about everything we've gone through for the past few weeks, and I'm really worried about David." His brown-haired head slowly shook. "I mean I just wish that he would tell me one way or the other what he was doing that night."

"Maybe he doesn't want you to get involved?" Greenlee suggested, also sitting up against the headboard. "Or he just doesn't want you to worry about him?"

"But not telling me anything is what's making me worry about him." Leo replied, looking over at his wife. With a gentle smile, he rested his hand on top of hers. "Anyway, you should take your own advice and get some sleep, Greenlee." His hand traveled to her stomach, where their unborn child was. "I mean we're going to have enough sleepless nights in the near future."

"I won't be able to sleep until you do." Greenlee shook her head, although she was clearly stifling a yawn. "Maybe you should just tell David how worried you are about him…"

"He told me not to worry about him." Leo pointed out, running a weary hand through his hair. "Which means if I admitted that I was, then he would just feed me some sort of line to pacify me." Throwing the covers back, Leo sat up on his side of the bed. "But you're right as usual, Greenlee. I'm not going to solve anything by sitting here and worrying."

"So, what are you going to do?" a curious Greenlee inquired as Leo scooped the clothes he had been wearing the previous day up in his arms.

"I'm going to go find him and talk to him." Leo sighed, slipping on his black leather pants. He shook his brown-haired head. "Making him give me some answers is the only way that I'm going to sleep tonight."

-

With a weary sigh, David Hayward threw his blankets back over his bed upon hearing a knock on his front door. The dark-haired doctor had just gotten through a long day of police questioning and working at the free clinic in downtown Pine Valley, and was looking forward to a well-deserved rest. Not bothering to throw on a shirt over his flannel pajama bottoms, Hayward trudged to the door and looked through the keyhole to see who was on the other side.

"Leo?" he asked curiously as he opened the door. "It's 3 in the morning! What in the hell brings you all the way up here?"

"I can't sleep." Leo shook his head as he stepped inside.

"So, you came to see me?" a confused David replied, closing the door to the small, wooden cabin located in the woods around Pine Valley. "Well, I'm sure that I've got something for that, little bro, but I don't think…"

"I don't need drugs, David." Leo sighed, waving off David's offer. "I need answers." He looked directly into his brother's eyes. "What were you doing the night that Cambias was killed?"

"I told you not to worry about that, Leo." David replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"But you won't tell me anything else, David." an obviously worried Leo said before sighing again. "And that's what I'm worried about. That you did do something! Something that you need my help with."

"No!" David shook his head firmly. "No, I don't need your help, Leo." It was David's turn to sigh, which he did as he put both of his hands on Leo's shoulders. His dark eyes looked into those of his younger half-brother. "You've helped me out enough times in the past, and it nearly cost you your life. I need to start doing things on my own."

"And that's what scares me." Leo replied, rubbing the back of his head. His brown eyes remained looked on his older brother's face, trying to decide whether or not to let the issue rest, at least for now. "But I guess I'm not going to change your opinion on things."

"No." David smiled with a shake of his head. "That you are not going to do." He removed his hands from Leo's shoulders. "But I do appreciate the concern, Leo. It means a lot to me."

"You're welcome." Leo grinned back, "Well, I guess that I should head back home now." He paused momentarily to stifle a yawn. "Gotta make sure that Greenlee actually fell asleep after I left." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked directly into David's eyes. "Just make sure you let me know if you do need my help with something, all right?"

"Okay." David nodded, walking Leo to the door. "Just as long as you don't hold your breath until that happens." He clapped Leo on the shoulder after opening the front door. "Now, go home to Greenlee and get some rest, all right? Neither of you need to be worrying about my problems right now."

"All right." Leo nodded in agreement as he headed towards his car. Pausing momentarily, he flashed a teasing grin at his brother. "Goodnight, Dr. Evil."

"Sweet dreams, Leather Boy." David retorted, returning Leo's grin.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

-  
"Oh, Bianca!" Leo called through a mouthful of burger, putting his hand up in the air to get his best friend's attention as she walked into B.J.'s, Pine Valley's premier casual dining establishment, the next afternoon. With a smile, the younger, dark-haired woman walked over to him.

"Your father probably would have had a fit if he saw that." Bianca commented, sitting down across from Leo. "After all, Leo, you are part of the upper class now, so you should show good table manners."

"I'll try to remember that when I'm around the aristocracy." Leo said, grinning widely after swallowing some of his burger. "Then again, they'd probably expect me to have low standards, being Guy's illegitimate child and all."

"How is your father by the way?" a curious Bianca asked as the waitress brought her a glass of water. "Uncle Jack told me that he was having some sort of health problem."

"He had a problem with his heart." Leo replied, swirling his straw around in his soda. "But he's doing a lot better now. David was the one who did the operation on him, so, as you can imagine, he's doing just fine."

"Good." Bianca nodded with a smile. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"There's a bit more news that I haven't told you about." Leo said, scratching an itch on his shoulder. "I met Guy's family while I was over there."

"Really?" an interested Bianca asked with wide eyes. "That's awesome, Leo! What are they like?"

"Well, my stepmother, Madeline, is really cool." Leo reported, "She gives off this maternal vibe that I can't even explain." He shook his head. "I mean, she should have hated me, Binks, but she was nothing but accepting of me."

"Well, she should be." Bianca commented, "You're such a nice person, Leo. Anyone would be lucky to count you as a member of their family."

"Yeah?" Leo sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Well, you should tell that to my newfound brother, Jean." He turned his gaze towards the ceiling. "He made it perfectly obvious that he wishes that I had never been born."

"Sounds like a real winner." a sarcastic, yet sympathetic Bianca said.

"Yeah, he's only noble in one sense of the word." Leo agreed with a nod as a waitress walked over to the table. Seeing as how du Pres already had a plate of food in front of him, it was clear that she was there to take Bianca's order. "Why don't you go ahead and get something to eat? It's on me."

"I'll just have a ginger ale." Bianca smiled, looking up at the waitress. As the woman left to fill her order, the dark-haired child of Erica Kane looked back at her curious best friend. "I haven't been feeling too good lately."

"I'm sorry to hear that." a sympathetic Leo said, swirling ketchup around his plate via one of his French fries. "Hopefully, you'll feel better soon."

"Leo, can you keep a secret?" an interested Bianca asked quietly.

"Of course, I can." Leo smiled widely, thinking back to a few years ago when Bianca had asked to him to keep the truth about her sexuality a secret. A chuckle escaped him. "You, of all people, should know that, Binks."

"Yeah, you're right." Bianca nodded, obviously thinking back to the same time period. As she leaned on the table, her voice suddenly got quiet. "Remember how I was supposed to have an abortion a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded, remembering that Bianca had decided to terminate the child that had been produced by Michael Cambias raping her.

"Well, I kind of changed my mind when I got to the clinic." Bianca revealed, sitting back in her seat. "I'm still pregnant."

"Wow! That's one hell of a secret!" a stunned Leo remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "Who else knows about this?"

"Just David and Maggie." Bianca replied, referring to Leo's older half-brother and cousin.

"I'm in good company then." Leo smiled, still rubbing the back of his head. Dropping his hand, his brown eyes looked sincerely at his best friend and surrogate little sister. "Whatever you need me to do, Bianca, don't hesitate to ask, all right?"

"I know, Leo." Bianca smiled back, putting her hands on his, which were currently resting on the table. "You've always been there for me, and I can't thank you enough for it."

"You're very much welcome." Leo replied, holding her hands in his.

"Aw!" a nearby woman Bianca's age with short, brown hair commented. "That's so sweet."

"Hey Maggie." Leo greeted, nodding at his cousin as she sat down next to Bianca. "What are you up to?"

"I've been trying to find you actually." Maggie replied, looking at Leo. "David told me this morning that you were back in town. How's your father?"

"Well, Dr. "I Save Lives" managed to squeak out another miracle, so he's doing just fine." a thankful Leo replied, leaning back in his seat. "Actually, I'm glad that you're both here because I've got some news."

"What is it?" a curious Bianca asked.

"In about seven more months, there's going to be another set of feet walking around me and Greenlee's house." Leo smiled, looking at the two younger women in front of him.

"You mean…" an ecstatic Maggie gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

"Yep." Leo nodded, "You're going to be a cousin again."

"Oh, Leo!" Bianca exclaimed, hugging her best friend from across the table. "That's wonderful! Congratulations!"

"Thanks." Leo said, hugging her back.

"It's great to have some good news for once." Maggie agreed, taking her turn in hugging Leo. "Congratulations, cous!"

"Oh my God!" Bianca suddenly realized, "That means that Uncle Jack is going to be…"

"A grandfather." a nodding Leo finished, "We just told him the news yesterday, and he's probably still bouncing off of the walls."

"I'd imagine he would be." Bianca giggled.

"I also told David." Leo revealed with a laugh. "I think that he's more worried about Greenlee and the baby's health than I am!"

"Well, I don't think that you can blame him for that, Leo." Maggie replied with a shake of her head. "Not after what happened with Leora."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Leo nodded in agreement, suddenly remembering his infant niece who had passed away a few months ago.

"I've got to be getting to the library." Maggie said after suddenly glancing at her watch. "I've got a paper for Organic Chemistry to finish."

"Why don't I go with you?" Bianca suggested, grabbing her purse. "You'll need someone to help you haul around all of those books."

"Okay." a smiling Maggie agreed before hugging Leo once more. "Give Greenlee my love and congratulations. I'm here for you two anytime that you need a babysitter."

"I'm going to hold you to that, you know." Leo smiled back as Maggie let go and Bianca took her place.

"I'd promise the same thing if I didn't think that I'm already going to have my hands full." Bianca commented.

"Well, like I said, Binks," Leo replied, putting his hand on Bianca's stomach. "If you need anything at all, I'm here for you."

"I know." a grinning Bianca nodded.

The two younger women waved a final goodbye at him as they headed for the door. Leo had just waved back when a foreign hand clamped him on the shoulder, and the tall, brown-haired man looked up to see a recognizable, elderly gentleman standing behind him.

"Mr. Greenlee." Leo greeted as the older man sat down in what had just been Maggie's seat. Woodruff Greenlee was Greenlee's grandfather, whom Leo had encountered many times in the past.

"I'm sorry, Leo," the older man said in a polite voice, "but I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation."

"Which part?" a curious Leo inquired, leaning back in his seat.

"The part where you mentioned that I'm going to be a great-grandfather." Woodruff smiled before extending his hand across the table. "Congratulations, my boy."

"Thank you." Leo nodded, shaking the older man's hand. "Just, uh, don't tell Greenlee that you know." He scratched the side of his face. "I think she kind of has her heart set on telling you and Millicent herself."

"I'll feign surprise." a chuckling Woodruff nodded, "So, any thought as to how you're going to support this little family of yours."

"Uh…well…" a nervous Leo stammered, rubbing the back of his head. Seeing as how the Greenlees were a very wealthy family, his mother-in-law, Mary Smythe, always made a point of ridiculing Leo about having no direct source of income and accusing him of leeching off of Greenlee. However, Woodruff himself had never done so. "I guess that I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, you should." Woodruff advised, reaching into his coat pocket. "After all, I assume that Greenlee is going to be on maternity leave from Fusion and I'll be damned if you two are just going to drain her savings account while that happens." He suddenly handed Leo a business card. "Meaning that it's up to you to find a job, Leo."

"Greenlee Investments?" a puzzled Leo read, looking at the business card. He glanced back up at the older man. "You want me to come work for you?"

"Well, I don't believe in the concept of nepotism." a smiling Woodruff replied, "But if you can't find anything else, then I'll be more than happy to find a position for you somewhere in my company."

"But I don't really have any employable skills." Leo pointed out, referring to his lack of a proper education.

"You'll never get a job with that kind of attitude, Leo." Woodruff commented, leaning back in his seat. "Employers want someone with self-confidence." A smile appeared on his face. "I'm sure with the Count and myself as references, you'll be able to land something." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Leo grinned, his belief that at least one of Greenlee's maternal relatives wasn't so bad being reaffirmed.

"You're very much welcome." Woodruff smiled back.

To be continued...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." a half-awake Leo grumbled to himself as the sound of a ringing phone brought him out of his slumber. His half-closed, brown eyes looked at a nearby alarm clock. "It's only one in the morning."

"Ignore them and maybe they'll go away." Greenlee chimed in, having woken up herself.

"It could be an emergency." Leo replied, groping around for the phone. He let out a yawn as he brought the earpiece to the side of his face. "Du Pres residence."

"Leo, it's Joe Martin," replied the serious voice of the head doctor at Pine Valley Hospital. "I'm afraid that I have some bad news."

"Bad news?" a more awake Leo repeated, sitting up in bed. "What kind of bad news?"

"Carlos Reyes was hit by a car earlier this evening." Joe reported, causing Leo to run a hand through his brown hair. Carlos had been in his bodyguard while he had been in hiding before Leo himself had sent him over to Pine Valley to keep an eye on Greenlee. "He's still alive, but he's pretty badly hurt."

"What is it?" a curious Greenlee asked, her brown eyes bigger than usual.

"Carlos was hit by a car." Leo replied, looking over at the woman. "He's pretty bad."

"Oh my God! Has someone gotten a hold of Juan Pablo?" Greenlee asked in a tone loud enough so that Joe could hear her over the phone. She was referring to the older brother of Carlos.

"He's here." Joe confirmed, causing Leo to nod his head at his wife. "However, he's like you would expect him to be." The older, gray-haired man paused and sighed wearily. "It would do him a lot of good if someone else came down here, and given your close connection to Carlos…"

"I'll be right there, Joe." Leo promised with a nod as he hung up the phone. Almost immediately, he got out of bed and slid the black jeans he had been wearing the previous day over his boxers. "Joe wants me to come down to the hospital. Apparently, Juan Pablo's not doing so well himself."

"I'll go with you." Greenlee volunteered, quickly dashing into the nearby bathroom to change from her skimpy negligee. "Why don't you call your father? Carlos was his employee, so I'm sure that he'll want to know."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Leo nodded, picking up the phone again. Seeing as how it was about seven in the morning in France, he didn't feel so bad about calling.

"Bonjour." the unfriendly voice of Jean greeted on the other line.

"Jean, it's Leo." the brown-haired man replied, eliciting a groan from the other man. "Is Dad around? I really need to speak with him."

"One moment." the older du Pres brother said before Leo could hear the phone changing hands and Jean's voice telling presumably the Count who was on the phone.

"I thought that you'd be asleep right now, my boy." the much friendlier voice of Guy chuckled into the phone.

"I would be, but I just got a pretty bad phone call." Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Carlos was hit by a car earlier tonight, and he's apparently in pretty bad shape."

"My God." a worried Guy whispered, "That's terrible!"

"Greenlee and I are about to head down to the hospital." Leo continued, letting his hand fall to the back of his neck. Greenlee emerged from the nearby bathroom, dressed in blue jeans and one of Leo's t-shirts. "Apparently, his brother, Juan Pablo, isn't taking things too well."

"Tell both him and Carlos that we will be praying for him." Guy sighed before clearing his throat.

"I will." Leo promised with a nod.

* * *

"Juan Pablo!" Greenlee exclaimed as she and Leo rushed into Pine Valley Hospital. A tall, brown-haired, clearly affluent Hispanic man turned upon hearing their voices. Greenlee embraced him immediately. "Leo and I came the minute that we got word of what was happening." 

"How is he?" a curious Leo inquired, bracing himself on a nearby counter as he tried to catch his breath.

"He's in surgery right now." the man reported in a thick, Spanish accent. Sadness and worry could still be found in his voice. "He has some sort of injury to his head."

"Oh, man." Leo breathed, running a hand through his short, brown hair. Carlos sounded worse than he thought, but he knew that Juan Pablo would want reassurance. "Don't worry, Juan Pablo. According to David, Dr. Grey is a really good surgeon. She'll have him back on his feet in no time."

"I only wish that I could share your optimism, Leo." Juan Pablo smiled before noticing a familiar black-haired, Hispanic woman entering the hospital. Leo recognized the woman as Simone Torres, a friend of Greenlee's who had been romantically linked to Carlos in the near past. "Excuse me."

"He seems worried." Greenlee commented to Leo as Juan Pablo went off to speak with Simone.

"The man's little brother could die, Greenlee." a sympathetic Leo said, thinking back to his own younger brother's death months prior. "I think that he's allowed to be a little upset."

"What about you, Leo?" a curious Greenlee inquired, placing herself in front of her husband. Du Pres smiled as the brown-haired woman reached up and caressed his cheek. "I know that you and Carlos were pretty close."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that I was fine." Leo admitted before kissing Greenlee's fingers. "But, like I told Juan Pablo, I'm pretty sure that Carlos is going to beat this thing, Greenlee. He has to!" Suddenly, he winced and slapped himself in the forehead. "God, I'm such an idiot!" His brown eyes searched the area around them. "I should find you a chair or something! You really need to get your rest."

"I'm fine, Leo." Greenlee assured with a chuckle, "Relax! Both me and the baby can handle something like this." She smiled at her husband. "They have our genes, remember? That already makes them a survivor." She laughed. "Your genes especially, Mr. Comeback-From-the-Dead."

"That kid's going to be one tough cookie that's for sure." a brown, curly haired woman remarked as she and a dark-haired man Leo's age walked up to the pair. Lightly, she hit Greenlee in the arm. "You should have told us that you were expecting."

"Must have slipped my mind." Greenlee shrugged with a smile.

"Yeah, right." the woman rolled her eyes before looking sincerely at Leo. "You know, Trey would have been ecstatic if he was still here. He always wanted a big family."

"He would have made an excellent uncle." Leo nodded in agreement, recognizing the woman as Kendall Hart, his brother's half-sister on the other side of the family.

"Yeah, he would have." Greenlee agreed, leaning up against Leo.

"How's Carlos?" the dark-haired man asked, putting his hands in his pockets. The man was Aidan Devane, Anna's nephew who had a possible romantic relationship with Kendall. "We heard about the accident and figured that we needed to be here for Simone."

"Apparently, he's got some sort of head injury." Greenlee replied with a sigh, "He's in surgery right now, but the doctors are optimistic." She paused and shook her head. "Juan Pablo? Not so much."

"Well, do you blame the guy?" Kendall sighed, rubbing her forehead. She smiled gently up at Leo and Greenlee. "You know, you two should really get home and get some sleep. You're going to have enough sleepless nights in the near future."

"No, I want to be here for Carlos." Leo shook his head firmly. "If not for my own personal reasons, then because my father can't be here for him."

"Don't worry about that, little brother." a familiar voice said from nearby the group. All four sets of eyes turned to see Zoe du Pres entering the hospital. "You're not the only one who can be here in Papa's place."

"Zoe!" an overjoyed Leo exclaimed, hugging his older half-sister. In his joy, he failed to notice Kendall and Aidan excuse themselves from the group. "What in the hell are you doing here? I thought that you were still back in France."

"I left the day after you." Zoe replied, hugging her much taller brother back. "I was in Philadelphia on business when Papa called and told me what had happened." As the pair separated, her blue eyes searched the chocolate ones of her half-brother. "How is your friend?"

"He's in surgery." Greenlee replied for Leo. "He's got some sort of head injury apparently."

"The poor man." Zoe shook her head with a sad sigh. "All we can really do right now is pray, I guess."

"Well, that's brought about miracles before." Leo shrugged as Greenlee leaned him towards him. Kissing the top of his wife's head, du Pres wrapped one of his arms around her. "It might just be what we need right now."

* * *

"What the…" a stunned Leo asked himself after pushing open the door to Carlos' room a few days later. The black-haired, Hispanic, former bodyguard, who was still recovering from being hit by a car, was nowhere to be found! Only an empty hospital bed remained, which caused Leo to start believing that the worst had occurred. "Oh, no."

"Don't worry, Leo." Juan Pablo reassured from behind the tall, brown-haired man. Hearing his voice, du Pres turned around instantly. "He is still alive. However, we had to move him to a secret location to ensure his safety."

"His safety?" Leo repeated before shaking his head. "I don't understand, Juan Pablo." Remembering that Carlos had mentioned being in hiding from some Argentinean mobsters, the realization suddenly dawned on Leo. "Wait! You think that the Calvatras might be after him?"

"I strongly suspect that they are." Juan Pablo nodded as Leo sighed in dismay and shook his head. "Like I said, I had Carlos moved to a secret location for his own safety." He paused and rubbed his brow wearily. "However, I'm not sure if even that will be enough. I think that you should stay away from Carlos for the time being, Leo."

"What?" a shocked Leo asked, "Why?"

"Because these men will not stop until they find Carlos." Juan Pablo replied, looking into Leo's eyes. "They will hunt down anybody that they even suspect would know anything about Carlos' current location, and I know that my brother would not want you to be involved." He shook his head. "Not now when Greenlee is expecting."

Nodding silently, Leo couldn't help but feel slightly conflicted. Sure, becoming involved with the situation between the Calvatras and Carlos could be dangerous for himself and his soon-to-be family, but Carlos was his friend. He just couldn't abandon him when he needed him the most. However, he also knew that the Calvatras knew about his connection to Carlos, so they might be watching him and where he went, hoping to learn the injured Carlos' location.

"You're right, Juan Pablo." Leo nodded, "It would probably be better for everyone involved if I stayed away from him." He paused for a moment and put a supportive hand on Juan Pablo's shoulder. "Tell him that I'll be praying for him though, and that we'll catch a beer or something when this is all over."

"I will." Juan Pablo promised with a nod.

* * *

"I'm glad that you told him that you'd stay away, Leo." Greenlee commented later that night after Leo told her about the incident at the hospital. The brown-haired woman was already lying in bed, watching with a slight smile as her husband stripped off his clothing. "You've already been through one war with a criminal organization." 

"You know, I'm surprised, Greens." a grinning Leo said as he pulled his shirt off over his head. He held the shirt in one hand and spread his arms out. "The sight of me stripping used to derail any other sort of thoughts you had." He sat down on his side of the bed. "You don't find me so attractive anymore?"

"Please! You'd have to commit me to Oak Haven if that was true." Greenlee reassured as Leo laid down, resting his head on her thigh. Her smiled widened as she gently massaged his bare chest, eliciting a moan of pleasure from him. "I'm just tired, Leo. Carrying the baby around is already wearing me out, and I'm not even whale-sized yet." Her hand paused and her eyes looked down into her husband's. "You are going to find me still attractive when I'm as big as a house, aren't you?"

"Like I could ever think that you weren't the most beautiful woman in the whole world?" a reassuring Leo chuckled, turning his head to look at her. "Especially now that you're carrying our child inside of you?"

"You are so sweet." Greenlee replied, running her fingers through his hair.

"I know." Leo laughed, looking back up at the ceiling. "Mind if I fall asleep right here tonight?"

"That depends." Greenlee smiled widely. "Are you going to make any more narcissistic comments? If so, I'm just going to have reassign you to couch duty."

"Ok." Leo agreed, putting his hands up. "No more narcissistic comments from me, I swear."

"Hmm." Greenlee giggled quietly as she reached over and turned off the lamp. "Goodnight, Leo."

"Goodnight, Greenlee." Leo yawned as both turned their attention to Greenlee's stomach. "Goodnight, Baby."

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

"Hard to believe that that little patch of gray is going to be a baby." a proud Greenlee remarked as she and Leo walked into their penthouse apartment. It was now the first week of November and the pair was returning from yet another doctor's appointment with a sonogram in hand. With a smile, she turned to face Leo. "I can't wait until we can find out what it is." 

"I'm just glad that you both seem to be doing okay." a smiling Leo replied, hugging his wife tightly to him. The brown-haired man suddenly leaned over and kissed her on top of the head. "David should have told us that a little runny nose was perfectly normal at this stage in the game." His brown eyes glanced down at the sonogram and he chuckled. "Look! I think you can already see their arms and legs!"

"Yeah." Greenlee laughed in agreement as she looked at the picture. "You should scan it into the computer and e-mail Guy a copy. I'm sure that he and Madeline would love to see it."

"Yeah." Leo nodded, rubbing the back of his brown-haired head as he moved away from Greenlee and sat down on the couch. "I've also got to start getting estimates on stuff to convert the spare bedroom into a nursery."

"Well, my mother wants to come over and help us decided how to decorate it." Greenlee revealed, causing Leo to make gagging sounds. "What?"

"Nothing." Leo replied, laying fully down on the couch. He folded his arms behind his head. "I'm just getting déjà vu from our nightmare wedding is all."

"You can say what you want about my mother," Greenlee replied, checking her cell-phone messages. "But she does have impeccable taste."

"Impeccable, my…" Leo rolled his eyes before noticing Greenlee watching him. "Foot?" His chocolate eyes suddenly zeroed in on tears coming down Greenlee's face. "Greens? Baby, what's wrong?" "What's wrong is that you're shooting down something that I just thought would make it easier on both of us!" a tearful Greenlee replied, causing Leo to sit up straight. Sobbing, the brown-haired woman suddenly turned and headed for the bedroom. "Remind me never to do anything for you again, Leo du Pres!"

"Green…" Leo stammered, "Greenlee!" As he heard the bedroom door slam, he sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "What in the hell did I do? She knows that I don't like her mother!" Realizing that it probably had to do with Greenlee's hormones being out of whack, the tall, brown-haired man got to his feet and walked over to the bedroom door. "Greenlee sweetheart, come on out and talk to me!"

"Go away, Leo!" a crying Greenlee exclaimed, causing Leo to wince.

"Greens, come on!" Leo protested, rubbing his forehead. "Look, I'm sorry for whatever the hell it was that I said to set you off, but you know that I don't like your mother." Realizing that that little comment might make things worse, he paused briefly. "I mean, I'm willing to give her another chance if you want me to, but…"

"Just go away!" Greenlee maintained, still sobbing.

Thinking that maybe taking Greenlee's advice was for the best right now, a weary Leo walked back into the living room and threw himself upon the couch, burying his head with a pillow. The tall, brown-haired man was absolutely baffled as to what to do next. He knew that he shouldn't take things too seriously as Greenlee's reaction was probably just due to hormones, but he also didn't want to completely ignore her current state either. The phone suddenly rang, distracting him from any other thoughts.

"Du Pres residence." Leo greeted with an exhausted sigh.

"Are you all right, my boy?" a worried Guy asked immediately from the other line, causing a surprised Leo to sit up straight.

"Dad!" Leo replied, running a hand through his hair. "Hey."

"You didn't answer my question, Leo." Guy reminded with a light chuckle. "Is everything all right? You sound absolutely exhausted."

"I don't know, Dad." Leo sighed. "Greenlee just went ballistic because I didn't agree with the idea of her mother helping us with decorating the nursery." Turning his eyes back to the bedroom door, he shook his head. "I mean, she's in there, crying hysterically about it, and I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean you don't know what to do?" Guy inquired with a bit of shock in his voice. "You need to go in there and comfort her, my boy!"

"But, Dad, it's probably just a hormonal thing…" Leo started, rubbing the back of his neck.

"All the more reason you should go in there." Guy interrupted, causing Leo to sigh again. An appreciative smile did appear on his face, however, as he noted the gentle tone in Guy's voice, perfectly suited for fatherly advice. "Leo, Greenlee is more confused right now than anything about what her body is making her go through. She needs her husband now more than ever."

"I suppose you're right." Leo admitted, letting his hand drop.

"Well, what is that old saying?" Guy chuckled, "Father knows best?"

"Actually, I think that that's an old TV show." Leo laughed, feeling slightly better about everything, even though he was still clueless as to what exactly to say to Greenlee when he went into the bedroom. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

"For?" a curious Guy inquired.

"Always knowing just what I need to hear." a grateful Leo clarified, once again picking up the sonogram photo that was nearby. "Oh, hey. I'll have to scan the latest sonogram photo in for you, so you can see your grandchild."

"Oui." Guy nodded firmly, "Both Madeline and I demand that you do so, Leo." A chuckle once again appeared in the older man's voice. "Otherwise, I may just have to come to America and beat some sense into you."

"Yeah." Leo chuckled, taking his shoes off. "Don't need you doing that while you're still recovering." A more serious tone suddenly appeared in the younger man's voice. "How are you doing by the way?"

"I'm doing just fine, my boy." Guy assured with a smile, "I was just calling because I haven't heard from you in quite awhile and as your father, I worry when that happens."

"I'm really sorry about that." Leo apologized, letting his shoes fall where they may. "It's been really hectic around here lately."

"Hmm." Guy nodded, knowing what Leo was talking about. "How is Carlos? You weren't able to tell me much last time we spoke."

"Well, according to Juan Pablo, he's conscious." Leo reported, "I've been trying to keep my distance from him, Dad. Carlos is involved with some very dangerous people, and Juan Pablo thinks that it's best if I stay away from him right now."

"That is probably for the best." Guy agreed, although he could clearly sense that his son wanted to help his friend. "You don't need that kind of trouble right now, Leo. Not now."

"I know." a nodding Leo admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I should probably go and check on Greenlee." He smiled. "I'll scan that sonogram in for you tonight, and e-mail to you."

"Be sure that you do." Guy replied, "Au revior, my boy."

"Au revior, Dad." Leo returned before hanging up the phone. Taking one more deep sigh, the tall, brown-haired man got up and headed into the bedroom. After knocking gently on the door and not hearing a reply, he gently opened it a crack. "Greens?"

From where she was sitting on the bed, Greenlee silently turned to look at him. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but Leo could still see a few tears rolling down the brown-haired woman's red cheeks. Letting the door shut quietly behind him, he walked and gently sat down next to her. With a slight smile, he wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, baby." he apologized, "I was being a total jackass out there." He sighed heavily. "If you want your mother to help us out, then that's fine with me."

"I'm the one who should apologize, Leo." Greenlee shook her head, "I don't know why I snapped at you like that."

"Personally, I'm thinking hormones." Leo grinned, looking into her eyes.

"So, you mean that we've got about 6 more months of this?" a wide-eyed Greenlee asked before leaning in against Leo's shoulder. "God, Leo! How in the hell are we supposed to get through this?"

"I build a bomb shelter in the living room?" Leo jokingly suggested, rubbing his wife's back.

Sitting up again, Greenlee just looked at her husband strangely before the pair both started to laugh.

"See?" Leo said through his laughter. "I knew that the Greenlee that I know and love was still in there somewhere."

"You big goof!" Greenlee giggled, lightly punching him in the arm. "Only you could make me laugh when I've just been crying my eyes out." She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Greens." Leo smiled before lightly kissing her on the cheek.

"So, who was on the phone?" Greenlee asked as she grabbed some nearby Kleenex and dabbed at her eyes.

"My dad." Leo replied, brushing her hair back with his hand.

"Impeccable timing." Greenlee remarked.

"Yeah, no kidding." Leo chuckled, dropping his hand. "He was just in time to give me some much-needed fatherly advice."

"Just like him." a smiling Greenlee nodded, "He always knows what you need to hear."

"Yeah, I know." Leo sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, I can only hope that I'll be as good a father to our kid as he is to me." The tall, brown-haired man probably would have said more, but a huge yawn suddenly escaped his mouth. "Excuse me."

"Am I keeping someone up?" an interested Greenlee asked, rubbing her husband's back. A small smile appeared on her face. "Someone who was up all night last night, stressing about me and the baby's health?"

"Like I said," Leo smiled back, leaning into her embrace. "David should have told us that a little runny nose was perfectly normal at this stage in the game." He stifled another yawn. "You know, a nap is sounding pretty good right now."

"Lunch is sounding better." Greenlee shook her head as she got to her feet. "I think that I'm going to go make myself something. Do you want anything?"

"Only a nap." Leo smiled, lying fully down on the bed.

"Okay then." Greenlee chuckled before leaning down and kissing Leo on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

* * *

The minute that he closed his eyes, Leo seemed to be magically transported to some foreign place that had white floors, white walls and a hard to see white ceiling. As his brown eyes looked quizzically around, his ears picked up the sound of a baby crying nearby. 

"A baby?" the puzzled Leo said, "Hello!"

Hearing his own voice resonate off of the walls, du Pres knew that he had to be alone, except for the crying, unseen child. Of course, the minute he had heard the baby, he had thought of nothing else but the child that himself and Greenlee were now expecting.

"Hang on." Leo soothed, beginning to run towards the sound. "I'm on my way!" Realizing that he didn't appear to be moving closer to anything at all, he let out a sigh of defeat and stopped momentarily. "The minute I figure out where you are…"

"Do you need some help, darling?" a familiar, female voice asked from behind Leo, causing the tall, brown-haired man to freeze. Recognizing the voice, he could feel the anger well up inside of him.

"You!" he exclaimed, turning around immediately to face the older, red-haired woman behind him. "What's the deal, Vanessa? You didn't torture me enough when you were alive, so now, your spirit has to haunt me?"

"Haunt you?" his mother chuckled, walking over towards him. "No, no, Leo. I'd like of myself more as your guardian angel."

"Guardian…" Leo rolled his eyes as Vanessa snapped her fingers. The baby crying suddenly disappeared, and silence descended upon the pair. The man looked around, puzzled. "What the…"

"There was never a real baby, sweetheart." Vanessa explained, caressing Leo's cheek.

"What are you playing at, Vanessa?" Leo demanded, stepping back and away from her touch.

"I was trying to prove a point." Vanessa replied, looking at her favorite son. "I'm afraid that you just don't have the skills to be a good father, Leo."

"What? Like you're some sort of expert on good parenting?" Leo scoffed, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Now, now, I'm only concerned for my grandchild's well-being." Vanessa explained, "It wasn't a personal attack, darling."

"You mean the grandchild that's going to know as little about you as possible?" Leo wondered, knowing that his child would be better off if they didn't know the legacy of their paternal grandmother.

"That hurts, Leo." an obviously wounded Vanessa winced.

"Good." an unsympathetic Leo replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Tell me something." Vanessa requested, gaining her strength back. "How in the hell are you supposed to be a father when your own was never around when you were growing up?"

"Dad would have been there if he had known." Leo answered, "The blame falls on you for that one, Vanessa."

"Now, you know why I didn't tell him." Vanessa explained, putting her hands on her taller son's shoulders. "I mean, Wolfe would have tracked us both down and killed us, darling." Her hands slid down to his arms. "I was only trying to protect you from him and those judgmental fools such as Jean."

"But you also kept me from those who would love me!" Leo pointed out, pushing his mother's hands off of him. "Like Dad, Madeline and Zoe!"

"Keeping you safe was my top priority." Vanessa defended, "If you don't understand why I did what I did, then you're even less fit to be a parent than I thought."

"I may not understand your exact logic, Vanessa." Leo replied, wishing that he would wake up from this presumed dream soon. "But I do understand that, as a parent, I need to do everything I can to make sure that my child is safe." He looked directly into his mother's eyes. "I promise you that I will do that."

"You mean like how you promised to do the same thing for Greenlee?" Vanessa smiled, rendering Leo speechless. "I forget, Leo, just how many times has that little tramp almost died? How many times did you fail to protect her from me?"

Scenes from his memory began to appear on the blank walls around Leo and Vanessa: Greenlee and Jake Martin nearly drowning on a leaky boat, Vanessa holding a knife to Greenlee's throat with half of Pine Valley hostage, and the whole Millers Falls incident that had lead to his having to make Greenlee believe that he was dead for eight months. Not wanting to look at these painful memories, a silent Leo diverted his eyes to the floor.

"Poor baby." a comforting Vanessa remarked, "Unfortunately, you know that I'm right, darling. You remember all too well the misery and danger that Greenlee has endured because of you." She looked questioningly at her son. "How can you expect to take care of a defenseless, little child when you've failed to protect a full-grown woman?"

"I…" Leo started, but found himself trailing off. "I don't know."

* * *

Feeling his body being gently shaken, Leo slowly opened his eyes to see Greenlee's face hovering above him. Worry filled the big, brown eyes that he had found himself lost in countless times, and her hand gently rested on his cheek. 

"Thank God." Greenlee whispered, glad to see Leo's eyes open.

"Greens?" a puzzled Leo inquired, sitting up against the headboard. His nightmare was still quite with him. "Where am I? Where's Vanessa?"

"Vanessa?" Greenlee repeated, sitting down next to him. "Wow, your nightmare was worse than I thought!" Seeing curiosity suddenly appear in his eyes, she rubbed his arm gently. "I came in here to find you moaning and thrashing about, Leo. I've been trying to wake you up for a while now."

"Thanks." an appreciative Leo said, resting his head in his other hand. He wanted desperately to think about something else, but he could only hear Vanessa's words in his head. Words that he feared were too entirely true.

"Leo?" Greenlee asked, seeing the anguish on her husband's face.

"I've got to get out of here, Greenlee." Leo replied frankly, getting up from the bed and heading towards the door. Greenlee followed him all the way to the front door. "I've got to get out of here!"

"What's the…" a highly confused Greenlee asked, watching Leo throw the front door open and sprint towards the elevator. "Leo!"

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Notes: Summer vacation more time to write...hopefully.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

* * *

As the memories from the previous hour replayed in his head, Leo let out a heavy sigh and rested his head against the table. After running out of the loft, the tall, brown-haired man had driven around Pine Valley for awhile before finally deciding on going into a seedy bar on the edge of town. It was the perfect place for him to just sit alone and think about what he had done without having to worry about anyone walking in and bothering him.

To tell the truth, du Pres still didn't know why he had run out on his wife like he had. The nightmare had seemed so real to him, but he knew that that was no excuse for what he had done. He felt angry with himself for allowing Vanessa to see and capitalize upon his weakness, something he of all people should know better than to do.

"Excuse me," he said to the bartender, who was looking at him. Leo held up his empty glass. "Can I get another drink?"

"By drink," a familiar voice said from behind Leo. "He means coffee, black and plain."

"Sure thing." the bartender smiled, quickly going to the back to see if they even had any.

"What are you doing here, David?" Leo asked, watching his older brother as he moved from behind to him to the chair right in front of him.

"I've been looking for you, Leo." David replied honestly, "Tell me why when I called your place, I got a very frantic Greenlee and some story about how you ran out of the loft because of some nightmare."

"It's nothing, David." Leo waved off, wishing that he could just close his eyes and magically make his older brother disappear.

"The hell it is!" David snapped back, looking directly into Leo's eyes. "You always act like your problems are no big deal, Leo, but then you go and run away from them!"

"If this is the start of another big brother lecture, I suggest that you save it." A frank Leo retorted before shaking his head, "I don't need your advice."

"What did she do to you, Leo? Hmm?" a concerned David inquired, leaning forward slightly. "What did our mother's ghost say to you that has you so freaked out?"

"How'd…" a puzzled Leo started, dropping any sign of annoyance or anger.

"Greenlee told me that your nightmare was about Vanessa." David revealed with a comforting smile.

"It was stupid, David." a sighing Leo shook his head, "I was stupid. I let her see my weakness." His brown eyes suddenly turned to the floor. "She knew my worst fear and she played on it."

"You're afraid that you're going to be the worst parent a kid could ever have." David nodded in understanding.

"How'd…" Leo replied, stunned once more.

"Oh, give me a break, Leo!" David chuckled as the bartender set a cup of black coffee down on the table for the brown-haired man. "You think that you're the first father-to-be to be afraid of that?" Stifling his laughter, the dark-haired doctor shook his head. "Before Leora was born, I thought that same thing that you did."

"It's different for you though, David." Leo pointed out, "I mean, your father was around when you were growing up." Sighing, he shook his head. "I didn't have that. All I had was Vanessa and whatever guy she was attached to at that moment."

"Have you talked to your dad about this?" David suddenly asked, not really knowing what to say to calm Leo's fears.

"Yeah, but you know how Dad is." Leo replied, "He would tell me anything just to pacify me."

"What did he tell you?" a curious David inquired.

"Just to follow the image I had as a kid as to what the ideal father would be like." Leo said before taking a sip of his coffee. Disgusted, he made a face and quickly set the cup down. "Yuck! Remind me never to order coffee from a bar again."

"You don't have to drink it." David laughed, grabbing the cup and dragging it to his side of the table. "I only ordered it for you because I didn't know how much you had been drinking tonight."

"You should have just asked." Leo chuckled back, popping an ice cube into his mouth. Realizing that that wasn't getting rid of the foul taste in mouth, he spit back out into the glass. "I'm paying you back for this, David."

"Like you haven't already?" David pointed out with a smile, "For crying out loud, Leo, you've led me to think that you were either dead or almost dead twice!"

"Yeah, yeah." Leo waved off, "I know that I'm a hassle, Dr. Evil."

"Getting back to the topic at hand," David coughed, "Sounds like your father gave you some pretty sound advice, Leo. You should follow it."

"You think?" an unsure Leo replied, looking at him.

"Leo," David said, reaching across the table and putting a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Trust me, all right? I know what I'm talking about." A reminiscing look appeared in his eyes. "Before Leora was born, I used to have the same nightmares you're having. Vanessa showing up and telling me that I wasn't going to be a good parent. That I would fail my daughter just like my father had failed me."

"What did you do?" Leo asked, looking into his brother's eyes.

"What you know you should do." David replied honestly, "Don't listen to her. You, of all people, Leo, should know never to take what our mother or her ghost says to heart." He smiled at the younger man. "You're going to make an excellent father, little bro. Even if you don't exactly have firsthand experience in the subject, you're still one of the greatest guys that I know. Any kid would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks for the confidence boost, David." an appreciative Leo smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, I'm still not one hundred percent confident that I can do this…"

"That's a feeling that will stick with you for your entire life, I'm afraid." David sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"But I'm feeling a lot better about it." Leo replied, causing a smile to appear on David's face. Suddenly, the brown-haired man got up from his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go apologize to Greenlee…" He paused in mid-step. "After I pay my bill."

"I'll pay it." David waved off, "You just go home and apologize to your wife."

"Thanks, David." Leo said, clapping his older brother on the shoulder before running out the door.

* * *

Hearing someone knock on the door, Greenlee sighed and wearily got up from the couch. It had been a whole hour since the panicked Leo had run out of the loft, and the brown-haired, petite woman was beginning to get worried about her husband. She only knew that he had dreamed about his mother, which Greenlee couldn't blame him for being scared. She couldn't think of a worse monster than her former mother-in-law. But, she also wondered what exactly Leo had dreamed about, and why he hadn't the sense to just dismiss anything Vanessa said as lies. 

"Who is it?" Greenlee asked, standing on the other side of the door.

"Someone who's really sorry." Leo's voice replied from the other side. Throwing open the door, Greenlee could barely see her husband's face behind the massive bouquet of red roses he was holding in his hand.

"Oh, Leo." Greenlee sighed, pushing his hand and hugging him around the waist. "I was so worried about you! Where did you go?"

"I needed to clear my head, Greens." Leo apologized, stepping inside the loft as he hugged Greenlee back. "I'm so sorry for running out on you like that."

"It's okay." Greenlee reassured, looking up into his eyes.

"No, it's not." Leo shook his head as the two walked over to the couch. Gently laying the roses in his hand on the coffee table, Leo took his wife's hand in his own. "I shouldn't have let her mess with my head like that, Greenlee. I'm really sorry that I even listened to her." He sighed. "I should know better."

"What did she say to you, Leo?" a curious Greenlee asked.

"She used my worst fear against me." Leo revealed, leaning back against the back of the sofa. "She knew that I was nervous about being a father, and she pointed out that if I hadn't been able to protect you all of those times, how could I expect to protect an innocent, little child?"

"Oh, sweetie." Greenlee sighed, brushing a strand of his hair back. "I know that you're nervous about the new baby. I am too."

"You are?" a surprised Leo said, looking at her. He shook his brown-haired head. "You sure haven't shown it."

"That's because I've made a conscious decision to try and focus only on the happiness I'm feeling." Greenlee replied, wrapping her hands around her husband's. "We have to accept that, as much as we'd like to be, we're not going to be one hundred percent perfect, Leo." She laughed slightly. "I've yet to meet a parent that was."

"I know, Greenlee." Leo replied, nodding his head. "It's just that I want to give our child everything we never had, you know? A stable, loving home, two parents that are always there for them…" He paused for a moment and shook his head. "It just feels like I've absolutely convinced myself that I don't know how to give them that."

"You'll give them that by being the gentle, loving, amazing person that you are, Leo!" Greenlee reassured before shaking her head. "I absolutely hate it that, even dead, Vanessa can still make you second-guess yourself like this."

"I hate it too." Leo nodded, thinking about everything his wife, father and brother had told him over the past few weeks. He decided that Greenlee's method was the right one; he should only be focusing on the happiness he felt right now. "You're right, Greenlee. We shouldn't focus on the negative right now, only the positive! We're going to have a baby!"

"There's the Mr. Optimism that I know and love!" Greenlee exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Only because you brought me back, baby!" Leo replied before kissing Greenlee on the lips. "How did I ever live without you?"

"I think both of us know the answer to that question." Greenlee took a moment to say, referring to their eight month long separation. However, it wasn't long before her lips were connected back to Leo's, who pulled her closer to him. "You know what?"

"What?" a curious Leo asked, pulling away from her.

"I think we'd be a lot more comfortable in the bedroom." Greenlee replied with a seductive grin on her face.

"I think you're right." Leo agreed before both man and woman raced off in that direction.

To be continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

"You know, I don't have enough yellow in my wardrobe." a shirtless Leo remarked, combing through his side of the closet. His brown eyes searching every article for the perfect ensemble.

"Be nice." Greenlee teasingly admonished as she passed by. The morning newspaper in her hands told of the event that the du Pres were getting ready for: the funeral of one Michael Cambias.

"Nice?" Leo chuckled, throwing on an orange sweater. "Greens, Michael Cambias doesn't deserve nice." After pulling the sweater over his head, he shook the brown-haired object. "Bastard doesn't even deserve a funeral."

"You're right." Greenlee agreed, sitting down on the bed. "I can't believe that Kendall has the gall to throw him one." Worry suddenly appeared in her voice. "She's really losing her mind."

"I'm glad that she is though." Leo replied, sitting down next to Greenlee on the bed. A wide smile was present on his face. "Gives people like me the chance to actually spit on his grave."

"Spit on it or dance on it?" Greenlee asked with a chuckle.

"And ruin everything with my horrible dancing?" Leo laughed in response. "People will be throwing me into a grave!" Suddenly, he layed down and rested his head on Greenlee's lap. As his wife started running a hand through his brown hair, the man sighed. "I just wish I knew who killed him, Greens. More importantly, I wish that I knew for sure that it wasn't David."

"I just wish that we knew who it was." Greenlee agreed, nodding her head. "So many people that we care about are suspects." She moved her hand to his shoulder. "I mean, even my new dad, Jackson, is a suspect."

"Well, whoever did it has my eternal thanks." Leo smiled before sitting up. "Come on, we should get going."

* * *

"I thought that I'd find you over here." Greenlee smiled, carefully maneuvering her way past the many gravestones in the cemetery. Glancing back at her, Leo was kneeled in front of an upright one that bore the name Ben Shepard, Trey's actual real name. 

"I felt guilty that I haven't visited lately." Leo sighed heavily, getting to his feet. Memories of the bullet from Vanessa's gun whizzing past him and striking Trey in the head still fresh in his mind, even though it had happened months ago. He shook his brown-haired head vehemently, trying to get them out. "It shouldn't have even happened, Greenlee."

"Don't think about that, Leo." a gentle Greenlee said, hugging her husband tightly. "There was nothing that you could have done."

"I know, I know." Leo reassured, nodding his head. His brown eyes focused on the gravestone near them. "Hey, can I run an idea by you?"

"What?" a curious Greenlee inquired, looking up at him.

"If we have a boy, do you think that we could name the baby, Benjamin?" Leo requested before looking at the gravestone once more. "After Trey?"

"I think that that would be an excellent idea." Greenlee smiled back.

"You don't have to lie, Greenlee." a reassuring Leo shook his head, "I mean, I know that he wasn't one of your favorite people."

"He wasn't," Greenlee admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "But he was your brother. If you want to honor him by naming our child after him, I'm not going to stop you." She smiled up at Leo. "So, if we have a boy, his name is going to be Benjamin Montgomery du Pres, deal?"

"Deal." Leo smiled before leaning in and kissing his wife.

"A little respect for the dead would be nice." David remarked as he walked up to Greenlee and Leo.

"Is that a jealous little bird that I hear chirping?" Leo asked, turning to face his brother with a wide grin on his face. "Hey, bro."

"Hi David." Greenlee greeted.

"Hey, I just thought that I'd come pay Trey a visit." a solemn David said, looking at the gravestone nearby them. "Nice little service that we had for Michael, huh?"

"Yeah." Leo chuckled in agreement.

"I liked that part where you poured scotch on his grave." Greenlee smiled, "Nice touch."

"Thanks." David said, bowing slightly. "So, what deal were you two celebrating over here?"

"Oh, we decided on a boy's name." Greenlee replied with a wide grin, "Benjamin Montgomery du Pres."

"For Trey." David nodded, smiling himself. "He would be honored that you would want to do that. He always wanted one big, happy family."

"Yeah." Leo sighed, shaking his head. "Damn shame that he had to be born into our sad freak show of one."

"Yeah." David agreed, deciding to switch subjects. "So, what if you guys have a little girl? What would you name her?"

"We haven't decided yet." Leo replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, actually, I have an idea that I'd like to run by you." Greenlee said, turning to look at Leo.

"What?" a curious du Pres asked, cocking his head.

"I was thinking that we could also name a little girl after someone." Greenlee replied before pausing momentarily. "Two people actually."

"Who?" Leo wondered.

"David and Anna." Greenlee answered, nodding at Hayward. "Or Deanna."

"You don't have to…" David started, putting his hand up.

"I want to." Greenlee insisted, "You two mean so much to Leo and me."

"Yeah, man." Leo agreed, clapping a hand on David's shoulder.

"All right." David blushed, "I'm sure that I speak for Anna when I say that we're honored that you would want that." A wide smile appeared on his face. "So, my niece will be Deanna what du Pres?"

"I came up with Benjamin's middle name." Greenlee reminded, grinning at an unsure Leo when he turned to look at her. "You can think of one for Deanna."

Nodding silently, Leo took a moment to search his brain for a name that would mean as much to the couple as Montgomery did, but would also fit a little girl. A grin slowly appeared on his face as he came up with one.

"Paris." he said, referring to the city he and Greenlee had fallen in love with. "Deanna Paris du Pres."

"I like that." Greenlee smiled, leaning against her husband.

"So, in about six months, we'll be welcoming either Benjamin or Deanna into the world." David remarked, putting a hand on Greenlee's stomach.

"Yeah." Leo nodded, still suspicious of his brother's role in the murder of Michael Cambias. "I really hope that you'll be there with us, David. It would mean a lot to me."

"Of course, I'll be there, Leo." David laughed, "Where else would I be?"

"Never mind." a quiet Leo shook his head. "It's not important."

"No, it is." David insisted, folding his arms across his chest. "Why wouldn't I be there to see the birth of my niece or nephew?" Looking into his brother's brown eyes, David suddenly realized what Leo was thinking. "You're still hung up on my part in the whole Michael Cambias thing, aren't you?"

"Well," Greenlee said gently, looking at the dark-haired man. "You can't really blame him, David. I mean Leo's just worried about you because you're his brother, and you haven't been straight with us about what you were up to that night."

"For crying out loud," David sighed wearily, putting a hand to his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you two to not worry about that?" Dropping his hand, Hayward looked at his brother and sister-in-law. "It's nothing that you two need to be dealing with right now, okay?"

"Quit telling me not to worry about it, David!" Leo shouted, getting frustrated with his brother. Sighing, the brown-haired man put his head in his hands for a moment before looking back up. "I know that this family thing is still semi-new to both of us, but you are my older brother. Those eight long months that I was in hiding, you were the one person that I missed just about as much as Greenlee." He shook his head. "I don't think that I could take it if you were sent up the river for poisoning Michael Cambias."

"Don't worry, Leo." David reassured, clearly touched at how much he meant to the younger man. "I didn't poison him." The doctor's dark eyes darted around to make sure that they were alone before continuing. "The drug I put in his scotch would merely castrate that monster."

"So, you didn't kill him?" a happy Greenlee said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"No." David replied, looking directly into Leo's eyes. "No, I wasn't the lucky person that rid the world of that scum." He smiled genuinely at his younger brother. "That make you breathe easier?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "A bit easier."

To be continued...


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: I dedicate this chapter to Leah, who nearly beat me to death to keep working on this story. Thanks, girl.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

"Leo!" a whiny Greenlee said as she ran back into the bedroom from the attached bathroom. The petite, brown-haired woman threw herself upon the bed, which was enough to roust her husband from his sleep. 

"Huh? What?" a sleepy Leo yawned, slowly sitting up and looking around. "Oh, Greens. What's up?"

"What's up?" an angry Greenlee repeated, "What's up? I'll tell you what's up, Leo du Pres." She got on her knees and gestured to her abdomen, which was starting to look a little bigger than normal. "This is up! I'm already starting to resemble a whale!"

"Ah, sweetie," Leo reassured with a grin, "You could never look like a whale." He kissed the top of her head gently. "A goldfish? Maybe. A whale? Never."

"Quit being so damn sweet." his wife grumbled, hitting him with a nearby throw pillow.

"Why?" Leo grinned confidently, "You know that you love me that way."

"God, you are impossible to hate." Greenlee groaned, hitting Leo again with the pillow. "The worst thing is that you know it."

"Hmm." Leo said, grabbing her and pulling her down next to him. "The best thing is that you know it too." He kissed her lips. "What do you say to staying in bed all day?" With a grin, he reached up and brushed her hair back. "I read somewhere that pregnant women can safely have sex until the ninth month."

"You sure that you didn't just make that up?" Greenlee smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Would I do something like that?" an innocent Leo asked, looking around. "You must be thinking of some other Leo du Pres."

"Smartass." Greenlee laughed, trying to wiggle away from him.

"And where do you think you're going, huh?" Leo chuckled, wrapping his arms around the petite brown-haired woman. "I'm not letting you go anywhere!"

"Leo!" Greenlee laughed loudly as her husband started to shower her neck with kisses. "You're impossible! You know that?"

"I know." Leo smiled as the doorbell sudden rang out. The brown-haired man frowned. "Who in the hell could that be?"

"I don't know." a puzzled Greenlee said as the two got up from their bed. She glanced at a nearby clock. "It's only 8:30 in the morning." She sighed heavily as she took a look in a nearby mirror. "You, go get that."

"Why me?" a puzzled Leo asked, throwing some blue jeans and a white dress shirt on.

"Because you messed up my hair!" Greenlee exclaimed, turning and walking back into the bathroom.

"Because you messed up my hair!" a sarcastic Leo imitated, rolling his eyes as the bathroom door shut behind Greenlee. Shaking his head, the tall, above-average looking man walked out into the living room and opened the front door. "DAD!"

"Surprised?" the elderly man chuckled, opening his arms widely.

"Yeah." a happy Leo nodded, stepping into a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were still recovering from your surgery."

"Dr. Jacot gave me a clean bill of health," Guy smiled as the two broke their embrace. "So, here we are."

"We?" a puzzled Leo asked, looking at his father.

"Yes, we." a previously unnoticed Madeline smiled as she entered the penthouse behind her husband. The white-haired woman smiled at her stepson.

"Madeline! Hey!" Leo greeted with a hug, "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Leo." Madeline replied, hugging him back.

"So, what brings you guys to America?" a curious Leo asked, gesturing for his guests to have a seat. "Not that I'm not happy to see you. It's just…"

"Where would the fun be in telling you that we were coming?" Guy smiled as a fully dressed Greenlee walked into the room. Being a gentleman, Guy got to his feet. "Greenlee, mon cherie, it is good to see you again as well."

"Hi Guy." Greenlee grinned, hugging her father-in-law tightly. "Madeline."

"Greenlee," Madeline smiled widely, taking her turn in hugging the brown-haired woman. "How are you, dear?" She put a hand on the other woman's stomach. "Look at you! You're already showing."

"Don't remind her." Leo requested, not wanting go another round.

"It's all right, Leo." Greenlee reassured before looking at her in-laws. "Can I get you two some coffee or something?"

"No," Guy gently declined, putting his hand up. "We're fine. Merci, Greenlee."

"So, when did you guys get in?" a curious Leo said, looking at his father.

"A couple of days ago." Guy answered, "We've been staying with Zoe, so we decided to come down and visit you too."

"Oh, really?" an interested Greenlee commented, "How's Zoe doing?"

"Well, she has some news." Madeline smiled, "She's engaged."

"Wow!" an excited Leo said, "Really?"

"That's great." Greenlee added with a wide grin.

"Oui." Guy nodded, "His name is Pierre Bontecou. He's a lawyer in Paris, and the son of some friends of ours." The elderly man's blue eyes twinkled fondly. "He and Zoe have known each other their whole lives, but have only been going out for a few years now."

"Sounds like a fairy tale." Greenlee smiled, leaning into her husband.

"Seems to run in our family." Madeline nodded, looking at Greenlee and Leo in particular. "So, Greenlee my dear, what were you planning on doing today?"

"Well," Greenlee said, "I was planning on going to work…" Curious, she looked at the older woman. "Why?"

"Well," Madeline smiled, "I was hoping that I could spend some time with my new daughter-in-law while we were in the area." She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe go shopping for the baby?"

"That would be great!" Greenlee exclaimed, nodding her head. The petite, brown-haired woman grabbed her cell phone off of a nearby table. "I'll call in. God knows that I've worked hard enough to earn one day off."

"I guess that leaves the two of us, my boy." Guy said, looking at Leo as Greenlee spoke to someone on the phone. "What would you say to a little father and son bonding?"

"Sounds good to me." Leo shrugged casually.

* * *

"I can't believe that you wanted to come here." a surprised, slightly angry Leo remarked as he followed his father onto the all too familiar cliff in Millers Falls State Park. While the rushing waterfall and forest atmosphere would seem peaceful to most people, it was anything but that to Leo. All the brown-haired man could remember was nearly falling to his death nearly a year prior, watching Trey and Vanessa die here and almost getting killed himself 6 months later. A nauseous feeling entered his stomach as he looked around, and his brain tried to figure out his father's motives for bringing him to such a place. 

"We won't be staying long." Guy reassured, putting a supportive hand on Leo's shoulder. "I just want to see the place that I nearly lost you, Leo." He shook his head. "I can't explain why, but I do."

"It's all right." Leo replied, calming his anger. "I guess that if something were to happen to my son or daughter, some part of me would want to see where it happened."

"I can't even begin to imagine what you must have gone through, Leo." Guy shook his head, a sad sigh escaping him. "Especially that second time. Watching your brother and mother get killed right before your eyes?" He shook his head again before putting it in his hands. "I should have been here."

"Dad, no." Leo said, shaking his own head. "Wolfe would have done to you what he did to Vanessa." As the memory replayed in his head, he shut his eyes. "He would have killed you after making you admit that I was a mistake."

"Leo." a comforting Guy started, but trailed after after realizing that he didn't know what exactly to say to his son. The older man sighed and kneaded his brow. "I should have told you the truth the minute we found out that we were father and son."

"It's all right, Dad." Leo smiled, looking at his father. "What's that old saying? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?"

"Oui." Guy nodded, looking at the younger man. "And you, my boy, are one of the strongest people I know." A smile crossed his face. "You've been through so much and yet, you're still here. Loving every minute of life!"

"Eh," Leo shrugged casually, "That's just because I come from a good, strong bloodline on my father's side." He smiled even wider. "You know, my father's a pretty amazing guy himself."

"Really?" a surprised Guy chuckled, "You'll have to introduce us sometime." As the two men shared a laugh, the older man put wrapped his arm around his son. "Why don't we get out of here and get some lunch?"

"Sounds good to me." Leo nodded as the two du Pres men headed back down to the car.

* * *

"God!" Greenlee laughed as she and Madeline walked back into the penthouse. "If I don't put us into bankruptcy when the baby comes, it will be a miracle!" She shook her brown-haired head. "Leo's going to kill me when he sees just how much stuff I plan on buying." 

"Oh, I don't know about that." Madeline smiled, closing the door behind her. "If he's anything like his father, he'll do his fair share of spoiling the baby too."

"I can see that." Greenlee admitted with a nod. "Leo seems to have inherited most of Guy's personality."

"Oui." Madeline agreed, sitting down on the couch. "Despite everything, your husband seems to be a polite, compassionate young man. I'm proud to welcome all three of you to our family."

"It's nice to have a mother-in-law that isn't out to kill me." Greenlee chuckled.

"Vanessa was such a monster." Madeline shook her head, "I regret that I regarded her as a friend at one time."

* * *

"Here you gentlemen are." the waitress at BJ's said, setting a hamburger and fries each down in front of Leo and Guy. "Anything else?" 

"That oughta do it." Leo replied as the waitress walked away. He grinned at his father. "I know that it's not that fancy, but…"

"What?" a stunned Guy chuckled, looking at his son. "Do you honestly think that I eat caviar and champagne every meal, Leo?" He laughed and jokingly punching his son in the arm. "You have some outdated opinions on what it means to be nobility, my boy."

"Ow!" Leo said, shaking his arm. His brown eyes focused on his father's smiling face. "I thought that your doctors told you to take it easy!"

"You deserved that one." Guy smiled, eating one of his fries.

"Well, I guess that I'm just not used to being in the upper class." Leo shrugged as he noticed a familiar person walk in out of the corner of his eye. "David!"

"Hey!" Leo's dark-haired, older brother greeted as he walked over. His brown eyes widened in surprise. "Guy! Good to see you!"

"Likewise, Dr. Hayward." Guy nodded before motioning to an empty seat. "Come! Join us for lunch."

"I don't know." David said nervously, "I mean, it looks like you guys are having a father-son thing." He shook his head. "I don't want to interrupt."

"Well, you are my big brother." a grinning Leo reminded before turning to Guy. "I think that that would make him something to you, wouldn't it?"

"I would think so." Guy nodded in agreement, putting a hand on David's arm. "I would be honored if you would join us for lunch, David."

"I guess that I can't tell you two no, huh?" David laughed, sitting down at an empty seat between the two du Pres men. He smiled at the Count. "So, how are you doing?"

"Good, good." Guy replied with a nod. "Obviously, Dr. Jacot cleared me to travel, so I must be doing something right."

"That's true." David chuckled, "So, what brings you to America?"

"Other than to surprise the hell out of me?" a curious Leo grinned.

"You deserve it." David smiled back.

"I'm afraid that I have to agree with Dr. Hayward there, my boy." Guy chuckled as Leo turned to him for sympathy. Clearing his throat, the older man decided to answer David's original question. "Zoë's engaged to be married."

"Really?" a surprised David said, "That's great! Be sure to giver her my congratulations."

"I will." Guy nodded, "So, how are things going for you, David?"

"Good." David replied, checking his watch. "I'm supposed to meet Maggie here in a few minutes though, so I probably should get going." As he stood up, he offered his hand to the Count. "Guy, it's always good to see you again."

"Likewise, David." Guy smiled, getting up and giving the doctor a hug. Not wanting to ruin the moment, Leo had to force himself not to chuckle at the surprised look on the dark-haired man's face. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't." a smiling David promised, hugging the older man back. As the two men broke their embrace, David ruffled Leo's hair with his hand. "You, stay out of trouble."

"Hey!" Leo exclaimed, moving his head away from David's hand.

"See you later, little brother." David chuckled as he headed for the exit.

* * *

"Whoa!" a surprised Greenlee said, looking at the older woman. "Vanessa used to be your friend?" 

"Regrettably, yes." Madeline sighed as Greenlee sat down next to her. "I first met her at an acquaintance's party, and our relationship snowballed from there." She looked at the younger woman next to her. "It's how she met Guy."

"Probably part of her plan all along." Greenlee shook her head, "Vanessa probably hooked up with you to find some rich guy she could con into becoming her next victim." "You're probably right." Madeline nodded, staring straight ahead of her. "Of course, whatever she was planning hit a complication at my wedding to Guy."

"Why?" a curious Greenlee asked, "What happened?"

"She met my brother, Marius." Madeline replied, closing her eyes.

"Marius?" Greenlee repeated before her eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

"Unfortunately, I do." a sad Madeline nodded, "My full name is Madeline Wolfe-du Pres." She sighed softly. "Marius Wolfe was my brother."

Just as Greenlee was about to respond, the front door to the loft was heard swinging open. A shocked Leo just simply stood on the other side of the doorway, staring at Madeline.

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Notes: Wow. So sorry that I went so long without an update. I'll try to do better about updating in the future, and hopefully this won't happen again. Here's an extra-long chapter for you guys to enjoy for being so patient. I really appreciate it.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

* * *

"What…what did you just say?" a stunned Leo asked, keeping his wide, brown eyes on Madeline as he entered the penthouse. A solemn-looking Guy followed a few steps after him. 

"Marius Wolfe was my brother." Madeline repeated quietly with a shaky voice.

"Oh, my God." Leo said, weakly looking down at the floor for a moment before lifting his eyes to look at his father. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought that you didn't need to know." an honest Guy replied.

"Just like I didn't need to know that I was a mistake?" an angry Leo spat, "Tell me, Dad, is there something else you're not telling me? Something else that can blindside me like this again?"

"Leo!" a worried Greenlee said as the tall, brown-haired man stormed out of the penthouse and into the hallway. The pregnant woman made a motion to follow her husband.

"Greenlee, wait." Madeline requested, putting her hand out and stopping the younger woman. "Let me go talk to him."

"Okay." Greenlee said meekly as she watched the older woman follow quickly after Leo. When the door shut again, she turned to face her father-in-law. "How could you not tell him something like that?"

"Like I said, I thought that he didn't need to know." Guy sighed, sitting down on the couch. Running a hand through his hair, the older man shook his head. "I just wish that I could stop hurting him unintentionally like this, Greenlee. I just want to protect him."

"I know." Greenlee sympathized, sitting down next to her father-in-law and taking his hand in hers. "I'm sure that Leo will forgive you, Guy. It's just that Wolfe nearly killed him. It's a shock to hear that that his new family is related to him." She sighed deeply. "Especially when he's already having issues about fitting in."

"The whole Jean thing." Guy nodded, understanding what Greenlee meant. "Has Leo spoken to him recently?"

"Not since we left France." Greenlee shook her head, "To be honest, I'm not so sure that they want to be close, Guy. Jean was pretty harsh to Leo when we were over there." She chuckled slightly. "Not that Leo was exactly polite to him either."

"They are brothers though, Greenlee." Guy sighed, "I want them to have some sort of relationship." There was a moment of silence. "A better one than they have now."

"I'm sure that if you just give them time, they'll find their way." Greenlee replied, smiling at the older man. "After all, David and Leo didn't take to each other right away, and look at how close they are now."

"Oui." Guy replied with a smile, "If Jean and Leo could be as half as close as Leo and Dr. Hayward are, I could die a happy man."

* * *

"You're not an easy person to follow." Madeline commented as she followed Leo out onto the roof of the apartment building. The tall, brown-haired man was standing up against the ledge, looking down at the street below. "Leo, please don't be angry with your father." 

"I'm not." Leo sighed, closing his eyes.

"Then, what is the matter?" a gentle Madeline inquired.

"I guess that I'm just stunned to hear that the man who tried to kill me twice is related to me." Leo shrugged, opening his eyes. He shook his head. "You and him are nothing alike."

"I thank you for the compliment." Madeline smiled, putting her hands on his shoulders. "God, I was so angry when I learned the truth about Marius." She shook her own head. "What a monster he turned out to be!"

"Yeah." Leo sympathized, knowing how Madeline felt. It hadn't been too long ago that he had felt the same way after learning everything that Vanessa had done. "I guess that's maybe why he wanted to kill me. Because I caused you so much pain."

"You didn't do anything, Leo." Madeline corrected, shaking her head. "What happened that night between Guy and your mother wasn't your fault." The brown-haired man turned slightly towards her. "Like I said when I first met you, if there are any victims of what happened that night, your name is first on the list. Yes, Marius and I were hurt by what happened, and, yes, your father felt guilty about what happened in the past." A gentle smile once again found its way to her face, and something about it made Leo want to smile himself. "However, he and I both agree that it was for the best now. It's given the world a very special young man."

"Really?" a teasing Leo grinned, "Who?"

"You are so much like your father at times." Madeline laughed, "You both always seem to know the perfect time to crack a joke." Her laughter slowly died away but her smile remained. "I'm so glad that I can say that you're part of the family, Leo. You really are one of a kind."

"Thanks." Leo smiled back as the door to the rooftop opened. Both him and Madeline turned to see a smiling Greenlee standing in the doorway, looking like she didn't want to disturb the two. "Hey, Greens."

"I just thought that I'd come up here and see if you were all right." a gentle Greenlee said, walking towards her husband. "I was worried when you ran out like that."

"I'm fine, baby." Leo reassured, kissing Greenlee on the cheek.

"I think that I'm going to go back downstairs." Madeline excused herself, heading towards the door. She paused in the doorway and smiled at the couple. "Take your time. Guy and I can wait."

"Are you sure that you're okay, Leo?" Greenlee asked as the door closed behind Madeline. Her brown eyes looking into his, she gently rested her hands on his arms.

"I'm fine, Greenlee." Leo chuckled, waving off her concern. "Really! Anyway, you shouldn't be worrying right now." He shook his head. "It's not good for the baby."

"I'd have to be comatose not to worry about you when something like this happens." Greenlee replied as Leo pulled her into a hug. "I love you so much, Leo."

"I love you too, Greens." Leo smiled, kissing her on top of her head.

* * *

"How is Leo?" a concerned Guy asked as Madeline walked back into the penthouse. His blue eyes kept themselves on his white-haired, elegant beloved as she closed the front door behind her. The older man shook his head. "I should have gone after him myself." 

"Relax, my love." a gentle Madeline reassured as she walked over and kissed Guy on the cheek. "Your son is just fine." Gently taking his hand in her own, she smiled as she sat down on the couch behind them. "Sit."

"I just wish that I could stop hurting him like this, Madeline." Guy sighed as he sat down. The older man's usually cheerful voice was filled with nothing but anger towards himself. "I should have never fed him that lie about Vanessa and I having an affair."

"You didn't want to hurt him, Guy." Madeline reassured, knowing that her husband was more troubled by the fact that he had never told Leo the truth behind his conception. "Leo understands that."

"No matter what I wanted, I've done it." Guy shook his head.

"And your son forgives you for it." Madeline pointed out, putting her hands on her husband's shoulders. "You are a good father."

"More like the best." a grinning Leo quietly interrupted from where he and Greenlee stood in the doorway.

"Leo?" a surprised Guy said, standing up.

"I'm sorry, Dad." a guilty Leo continued, walking over to his father. "I overreacted." His brown eyes locked themselves on the blue ones of his father. "I know you just want…you've always wanted what's best for me."

"I'm sorry too, Leo." Guy apologized, "I should have…"

Smiling, a silent Leo just put up his hand to prevent Guy from saying anything else. The white-haired man realized that his son was trying to tell him that the good he had done for him far outweighed the pain he had inadvertently caused him. Smiling back at his son, Guy threw his arms around Leo and enveloped him in a big hug.

* * *

"Happy Turkey Day." a freshly woken up Leo yawned before kissing the still asleep Greenlee next to him. 

"Ugh, I love you, sweetie," Greenlee remarked, scrunching her face up. "But don't ever kiss me with morning breath again." Putting a hand to her stomach, she rolled onto her other side. "Nor talk about food this early."

"Morning sickness?" Leo guessed with a voice full of sympathy. He gently rested a hand on Greenlee's shoulder. "Just think, Greens. Next year at this time, we'll have a little turkey of our own gobbling around."

"Please tell me that you did not just refer to our child as poultry!" Greenlee chuckled, rolling back over and playfully hitting her husband in the stomach. "It's our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, Leo. I'd hate to kill you."

"Yeah, it's a year late, but…" Leo shrugged before kissing the top of Greenlee's head.

"It's something that I'd never thought that I'd get." Greenlee replied, wrapping her arms around her husband.

"Hey, hey," Leo reassured, gently stroking her hair. He knew that his wife was thinking back to a year ago when he had been presumed dead. "Let's not even go back there, all right?" He kissed the top of her head again. "Today is a day to be happy."

"Just as long as Kendall doesn't show up…" Greenlee started with a voice full of contempt.

"Happy, Greens, happy." Leo reminded, knowing his wife's feelings. "I think that I'm going to go take my shower." He wiggled his brow. "Care to join me?" "Nope." Greenlee shook her head, sitting up. "I've got to spend that time deciding what we're going to wear."

"What we're…" Leo repeated, looking at his wife. "What am I? Two?"

* * *

"Looks like we're walking in on something." an anxious Greenlee whispered, squeezing Leo's arm as they walked into Valley Inn's dining room, the site of the annual Thanksgiving dinner for the Jackson Montgomery family. A small group of people was already waiting for them including David to Leo's shock. The dark-haired doctor appeared to be Erica Kane's date, which obviously had gone over like a lead balloon. Both Jackson and Reggie, Greenlee's adopted brother, looked ready to kill him. 

"I don't know, guys." Leo joked as he and Greenlee walked in. Pausing in his tracks, he beamed at Jack and Reggie. "Think that there's enough room to stuff him in the turkey?"

"And ruin a perfectly good dinner?" Reggie replied, shaking his head. "No thanks."

"Who asked your opinion anyway, you not-so-little brat?" David commented as he walked over to Leo and lightly punched him in the arm. "Happy Thanksgiving, little brother."

"Happy Thanksgiving, David." Leo smiled, pulling Hayward into a hug.

"So glad that you two could make it." Jack commented, kissing Greenlee on the cheek. He chuckled and gently put a hand on Greenlee's stomach. "Or should I say the three of you! How is the baby doing?"

"Good." a smiling Greenlee nodded, "We should find out the sex at my next appointment." She chuckled at a stunned Leo, who hadn't known this information. "Find out if we're having a little Greenlee or a little Leo."

"When were you planning on telling me this?" a nervous Leo replied, looking at his wife.

"When the time was right." Greenlee smiled, kissing his cheek.

"You're mean." Leo grinned back at her.

"Well, God help the women of Pine Valley if it's a little boy." Myrtle Fargate chuckled, "He'll be a little heartbreaker, just like his daddy."

"Thanks, Myrtle." Leo said, smiling appreciatively at the elderly woman. Kissing Greenlee on the temple, he wrapped an arm around his wife. "But a little Greenlee wouldn't be too bad."

"Are you kidding?" Reggie chuckled, "If she does take after Greenlee, the whole building's going to have to file noise complaints when she throws a tantrum."

"Hey!" Greenlee said, playfully swatting at her adopted brother. "You, be nice, or Leo and I will make you our permanent baby-sitter."

"Nonsense, dear." Mary Smythe, Greenlee's mother, said as she walked into the room. "Your child is going to have the finest nanny available, so Reggie won't be needed."

"Oh, God." Leo winced, hearing his mother-in-law's voice. He turned around to face the black-haired woman. "What are you doing here, Mary?"

"I was looking for Greenlee." Mary replied, slightly glaring at Leo.

"Leo." a sighing Greenlee urged, knowing how her husband felt about the other woman. The brown-haired, petite mother-to-be looked at her own mother. "What do you want?"

"I just want to spend Thanksgiving dinner with my daughter." Mary replied, walking over to her. "And just look at you, sweetheart! You're absolutely radiant!"

"Thank you." a polite Greenlee smiled before turning to Jackson. "There is room for one more person at the table, isn't there?"

"You can't be serious!" Leo said quietly, pulling Greenlee aside.

"She's family, Leo." Greenlee pointed out, "Not the best person in the world, but she is family." She tightened his tie. "At least, try to play nice, okay?"

"Can't make any promises." Leo grinned, kissing her on the cheek as they rejoined the main conversation. "Happy Thanksgiving, Mary. It's good to have you with us."

"I'm sure." Mary nodded, clearly not believing that Leo was genuine.

"Do you have room for one more, my boy?" a smiling Guy asked as he suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"DAD!" Leo exclaimed happily, catching sight of his father. "What are you doing here? I thought that you and Madeline went back to Paris days ago?"

"That's a warm welcome." a sarcastic David commented, folding his arms across his chest.

"I decided to stay a few extra days," Guy shrugged as he walked over to Leo. "So I could enjoy Thanksgiving with my son." He wrapped his arms around the taller, younger man. "Happy Thanksgiving, Leo."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Dad." Leo replied as he hugged his father.

"Well," a friendly Jack said, walking over to the two. "I think that I speak for everyone when I say that we would be honored to have you join us, Count du Pres."

"Mr. Montgomery," Guy greeted cordially, "It has been far too long."

"Please call me Jack." Montgomery said, shaking his hand. "Hopefully, with the new baby coming, we'll be seeing a lot more of you around."

"Like that's even a question." Greenlee giggled, putting her hands on her stomach. The petite brunette smiled at the two men. "If anyone's going to spoil the baby more than Grandpa Jack, it's going to be Grandpa Guy."

"That has a nice ring to it." Leo remarked, beaming at his father.

"That it does." Guy agreed, clapping his son on the shoulder as Jack turned to join others in conversation. David and Erica took this opportunity to wander over. "Ah, David! It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." David smiled, nodding his head. He motioned to the woman at his side. "Guy, I'm sure you've heard of Erica Kane. Erica, this is Count Guy du Pres, Leo's father."

"It's an honor to meet you, monsieur." Erica greeted.

"Mademoiselle Kane," Guy replied, kissing her hand. "I hate to sound cliché, but you are far more beautiful in person than rumors suggest."

"Merci beaucoup." Erica smiled, curtsying slightly. "Thank God for all of us that Leo seems to have inherited your personality and not Vanessa's."

"I second that." a newly arrived Maggie agreed as she walked over. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone."

"Mags!" Leo said among the chorus of Happy Thanksgiving in return. He wrapped his arms around his younger cousin. "Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Thanks, cuz." an appreciative Maggie said, hugging him back. "How's the baby?"

"Good." Greenlee reassured as Maggie and Leo broke their embrace. "Like we told everyone earlier, we should find out the sex next appointment."

"Really?" Maggie replied with wide eyes. The brown-haired woman suddenly smiled up at her cousin. "You're probably hoping for a little boy, aren't you?"

"It'd be nice." Leo shrugged, smiling at his own father.

"Like we need two Leos running around." David teased as it was his turn to hug Maggie.

"Still getting the urge to stuff you in the turkey, Dave." Leo replied, narrowing his eyes and punching his brother lightly in the arm.

"Well, this sounds like it's going to be one of our usual family gatherings." Maggie laughed as she and David separated. She winked at Leo. "You get the arms and I'll get the legs?"

"I'd love to see you two try." a chuckling David challenged.

"So, where's Bianca?" Maggie asked, looking around. "I thought she'd be here by now."

"I'm sure she'll be here eventually, Maggie." Erica reassured, "Bianca wouldn't miss this." The older, brown-haired woman sighed and shook her head. "Not after what she went through today."

"Why? What happened?" Greenlee wondered.

"It turns out that Kendall is pregnant with Michael Cambias' baby." David informed, causing Leo, Greenlee and Maggie's jaws to drop collectively.

"What?" Leo exclaimed, feeling his surprise turn to anger. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Michael Cambias?" Greenlee added, shaking her head. "Damn! Even I didn't expect Kendall to stoop that low."

"Isn't that the same man who…" Guy asked, tapping Leo on the shoulder. Even though his son kept him up-to-date on what was going on in Pine Valley, the older Frenchman still needed a refresher occasionally.

"Yeah." Leo sighed, knowing what his father was thinking. Wearily, he put his brow in his hand. "Yeah, he's the same monster, who attacked Bianca." He dropped his hands suddenly. "Damn it! What the hell is Kendall thinking?"

"My guess is that she isn't." Erica shook her head ruefully. "As if Bianca hasn't been through enough this past year."

"Okay, enough of this." David suggested, putting his hands on Erica's shoulders. "It's supposed to be a happy day, remember?" The dark-haired doctor shook his head. "No need to remind Bianca of what happened."

"I second that." Bianca smiled, getting the group to notice that she had arrived in the middle of their discussion. "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone." Her smile widened as she looked around. "Wow! Count du Pres, it's so good to see you."

"As it is you, my dear." Guy replied, hugging the younger woman. "I trust you've been making sure that Leo stays out of trouble."

"That's a job for more than one person." Bianca giggled, winking at Leo.

"Hey!" a grinning Leo exclaimed, feigning hurt as a dark-haired woman Leo's age walked up to the group. It was Lena Kundera, Bianca's girlfriend. "Lena! Glad you could make it."

"Glad to be here." the woman replied in her Polish accent.

"Why don't we all have a seat?" Jack suggested, breaking up the various conversations in the room. "The maitre'd has just informed me that dinner will be served shortly."

"Good." Greenlee remarked as the group descended upon the table. The pregnant, brown-haired woman and her husband headed for the two seats next to one of the heads. "I'm starving!"

"Well, you are eating for two now, Greens." Leo shrugged as he pulled out her chair for her. "It's bound to affect your appetite."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious." Greenlee smiled, quickly kissing her husband on the cheek.

"Guy," Jack said, taking his place at the opposite head of the table. "Why don't you go ahead and sit at the other head?"

"Yeah, good idea." Leo agreed for his father, pulling his chair out in the process. "Here you go, Dad."

"My boy," Guy laughed, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder. "You don't have to be so careful. I'm sure that Dr. Jacot would give me clearance to pull my own chair out."

"I know," Leo blushed, "I just…"

"Why don't you sit down?" Guy suggested, sitting himself and motioning to the chair in between him and Greenlee.

"Happy Thanksgiving, everyone." Kendall suddenly announced as she walked into the room. "Hope you saved me plenty now that I'm eating for two." She smiled at the stunned group gathered around the table. "Shall I say grace?"

"Oh my God," Greenlee said quietly, so that only Leo could hear. "Please tell me that she's not…"

"She is." Leo reassured, shaking his head. He mentally questioned what Kendall's motives were for breaking up this happy celebration and her sanity.

"It's Kendall or me." an enraged Erica threatened loudly, looking at Jack. "I mean it."

"Just try to remember the spirit of the holiday, will you?" Jack replied, trying to pacify his former flame.

"Diverse peoples coming together to break bread and give thanks." Mary offered from where she sat next to Erica.

"I didn't hear anyone ask for your input, Mare." Leo rolled his eyes, not being able to control himself. He quickly regretted this action as he could feel Greenlee shoot him a glare.

"Kendall's intrusion here is really revolting." Erica continued, looking from Jack to Kendall. "I mean, I can't sit here at the table with her and eat a bite."

"Why don't we just ignore her?" David suggested.

"Wonderful." Kendall smiled, taking a seat at the table. "I can have my dinner and yours."

"Kendall," the matronly Myrtle said, "do you know what you're doing?"

"I've been meaning to ask you, Kendall." Reggie commented, "Will the baby have little horns and a tail?"

"Reggie, shut up." a stressed Bianca said, catching Leo off-guard. Bianca should despise the fact more than anyone that Kendall was having her rapist's baby, but instead, she was defending her sister. What was going on?

"Eat some bread, Reggie." Maggie encouraged from where she sat next to Bianca.

"Uh, Mr. Montgomery," the maitre'd said as he timidly walked over to the table. "Perhaps, I could offer you a private room?"

"Why?" David grinned, "So, the bloodletting won't disturb the other diners?"

"Really, Jack." Erica sighed, "This is too much."

"You know what, Robert." a weary Jack sighed, waving the maitre-d off. "I think we're fine right here."

"You can't really expect Bianca to sit at the same table right next to…" an increasingly angry Erica started.

"Her beloved sister?" Kendall finished with a grin.

"You are only related to us by crime." Erica replied coldly.

"Ooh." Jack winced.

"Don't make it worse, Erica." Myrtle added, putting a hand up.

"Right on, Erica." Greenlee encouraged, getting Leo's attention.

"Don't get involved in this, Greens." Leo begged, turning towards her.

"Don't take orders from him." Mary piped up, glaring at Leo. "If you have something to say, sweetheart, say it."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Leo defended, looking right back at his mother-in-law. "You actually think I order her around?"

"I want you all to calm down right now." Jack said, trying to restore some order.

"Does anyone else find it ironic that I'm being shunned and insulted by Erica?" Kendall asked, looking around at the group. "After all, everything I've learned about love and kindness I learned from my mother."

"Oh, I'll show you love and kindness." Erica growled, getting up from her chair. Luckily, David was quick enough to restrain her, and Leo couldn't help but be slightly amused at the reactions of the other patrons as they watched this scene unfold. "Do you need attention so badly that you would destroy all of us just to get it?"

"Mom, stop it." a tired Bianca begged, "Would you please just stop it?"

"Can't we all put aside our differences for one damn day?" Jack asked, looking mainly at Erica.

"Differences!" Erica scoffed, "You want to call them differences? This is an outrage and she's rubbing our noses in it!"

"Erica," Mary offered, standing up herself. "I'm sure that you can related to Kendall if you really try." The black-haired woman motioned towards Greenlee. "Look at the progress that Greenlee and I have made. Sometimes, we get so involved in our own feelings that we overlook the hand that's held out to us in peace."

"Oh, I'm holding out my hand, Mary," Erica replied, not calming down in the slightest. "And I'm going to slap you silly if you don't sit down and I mean, very quickly."

"I'll hold her!" Leo volunteered, raising his hand.

"Be nice." Greenlee scolded, swatting her husband in the arm.

"Listen to your wife, my boy." Guy added quietly so that only Leo could hear.

"Erica," Jack said, trying to reason with the diva. "We understand that you're just trying to protect Bianca's feelings."

"Jack," Erica replied, rounding on her former lover. "You're acting as if it doesn't even matter. I mean, good God, is protecting your public image more important than protecting your niece?"

His cell-phone vibrating in his pocket was enough to distract Leo from the goings on happening in front of him. Taking his eyes off Jack and Erica's discussion, the brown-haired man pulled the device out of his pocket to see "Unknown" displayed on the Caller ID. He would have usually just ignored it, but du Pres felt he needed a break from the room to gather his sanity.

"I'll be right back." he said quiet enough for just Guy and Greenlee to hear him. Saying nothing to everyone else, he got up and walked into the hallway. "Leo du Pres."

"Happy Thanksgiving, man." the weak, yet recognizable voice of Carlos said from the other end.

"Carlos." an overjoyed Leo said to himself, using everything he had not to yell out his friend's name for fear that he was being watched. "It's been awhile, buddy. How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better." Carlos chuckled, "But Simone's not letting me out of her sight, so I guess that I can't complain." He stifled his laughter. "Anyway, Juan Pablo and Simone both told me about your news. Congratulations."

"Thanks." Leo smiled, leaning up against a nearby wall. "You just keep getting better, all right? I'm sure that I speak for Greenlee when I say that we're already counting on you to baby-sit."

"Will do." Carlos laughed, "Anyway, I'd better let you get back to dinner. I'll call you when and if I get another chance, all right?"

"Okay, man." Leo replied, "Take care."

"You do the same." Carlos replied, hanging up.

Hanging up his phone, Leo headed back into the dining room, which had seemed to quiet down some since he had left. Barely anyone noticed when he slipped back into his seat between Guy and Greenlee.

"What did I miss?" he quietly asked the two.

"Well," Greenlee reported, "Bianca gave her blessing for Kendall to join us, and apparently, according to Jack, we're under surveillance by an undercover cop." She looked at her husband. "Who was on the phone?"

"Carlos." Leo replied, turning towards his father. "He seems to be getting better."

"Good." Guy smiled, nodding his head. "It's good to have some good news after everything that's happened."

"Most Thanksgivings aren't like this one." Leo reassured with a chuckle.

"I should hope not." Guy laughed in agreement.

"Well, I have nothing to hide." Mary reassured as Leo rejoined the conversation at the table. To his disgust, he watched as his mother-in-law cuddle up to Boyd Larraby, who was sitting next to her. "But I'll be happy to cozy up and protect the rest of you."

"Back off, cookie!" Myrtle, Boyd's apparent date for the evening, warned, "He's mine!"

"And some of us would actually like to keep our dinner down, Mary." a disgusted Leo added before taking a drink of his water. After he set it down, he turned to his wife. "I'm sorry, Greens. Something about your mother just brings out the worst in me."

"It's okay." Greenlee reassured, putting her hand on Leo's thigh. "She has that effect on people."

"Even so," Guy commented, getting the pair's attention. "You should try to restrain yourself, my boy." The older man shook his head. "Your comments are not helping what's already a volatile evening."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that, Dad." Leo realized, nodding his own head.

"Ok." Jack said, interrupting all further conversation. "Myrtle, would you be so kind as to say grace for us, please?"

"I'll accept the challenge." Myrtle agreed, nodding her head once. Out of the corner of his eye, Leo could see David and Erica confer for a moment…probably about Kendall's presence. "Everybody, join hands."

"I'm not going to touch Mary Smythe!" Erica exclaimed about realizing who was sitting next to her.

"Why not?" Myrtle asked, looking at the brown-haired diva.

"I don't want to hold her hand." Erica replied simply.

"Well, then change places with David." Myrtle sighed, "I've got to have everyone holding hands so I can say a decent grace!"

"Wait a minute…" David started, not looking too keen about holding Mary's hand either.

"Please just do it, David." Guy requested, getting the dark-haired doctor's attention. "Just so we can get through part of this evening semi-peacefully?"

"Okay." David agreed, switching places with Erica.

"Thank you, Count du Pres." an appreciative Myrtle said before everyone bowed his or her heads. "Thank you for the many blessings we are about to receive, and if there was ever a group that needed thy blessings, it's us. In conclusion, please teach us all to live peacefully together in this wondrous world you've given us…"

"Without Hayward in it." Reggie added, causing Jack to shush him and Leo to chuckle slightly. He stopped when Greenlee elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

"And if that can't be accomplished in the next few hours," Myrtle sighed, "At least, let us all leave here in one piece. Amen!"

"Amen!" the group said collectively.

"Greetings, all!" a cheerful Ryan announced as he walked in. To everyone's curiosity, he walked in with a package in hand. "Did I miss the soup?"

"Just in time, man." Leo grinned, happy to see his best guy friend.

"Always room for one more." Jack replied, motioning for the maitre'd to grab yet another chair.

"I'm glad to see you, Ryan." Erica smiled.

"Yeah," Kendall added, "Erica's in need of reinforcements."

"I think it's great to see a friendly face." Erica corrected, glaring at her daughter.

"What do you got there, Ryan?" Leo asked, nodding his head at the box.

"Well," the other brown-haired man replied, turning to Kendall. "I didn't want you to think that I was a sore loser." He handed her the package. "For the baby."

"Open it!" Mary encouraged.

"Why?" Erica asked, questioning Ryan's motives.

"They're green booties with a C embroidered in gold." Ryan revealed as Kendall opened the box. He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing too good for the Cambias heir."

"You've got to be kidding." a stunned Leo commented.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" an equally stunned Erica asked.

"Well, them's the breaks, folks." Kendall grinned, shrugging her own shoulders. "There has to be a winner to give you losers something to shoot for."

"Hey, Kendall." Ryan smiled, scratching his temple. "You know what I forgot to tell you? The cops were at your place earlier with a search warrant." Dropping his hand, he nodded his head. "Yeah, they actually turned the place inside out. It's a good thing that you have nothing to hide."

"Isn't it?" a smug Kendall replied.

"I may be a good loser, Kendall, but I'm not a stupid one." Ryan warned, "I'll have the courts make sure that your baby deserves that C monogram."

"I'm sorry." Kendall replied, not sure what he was getting at.

"Well," Ryan grinned, "you will be if you can't prove that Michael Cambias is the baker of that little bun in your oven." His smile widened. "Before you get your mitts on one penny of the Cambias fortune, you and your little whosis have to pass a DNA test."

"Excuse me please." a suddenly nervous Bianca said, getting up from the table and leaving the room. To everyone's amazement, Kendall was quick to follow her.

"Here you are, sir." the maitre'd said as he set an extra place on the other side of Guy.

"Thanks." an appreciative Ryan said as he sat down.

"You know how to make an entrance." Leo commented.

"Eh, I get the feeling that I was just the icing on the cake." Ryan shrugged before looking at Guy. "Who's this?"

"This is my father, Count Guy du Pres." Leo introduced, looking between the two men. "Dad, this is my good friend, Ryan Lavery."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ryan." Guy smiled, offering his hand to Ryan. "Leo's told me all about you."

"Uh oh." Ryan joked, shaking Guy's hand. "Unfortunately, I'm not so sure that your son is my best P.R. person."

"He just works with what you give him." Greenlee smiled.

"She's even worse." Ryan informed, nodding his head at Greenlee before turning to look at her. "How's the baby?"

"Good." Greenlee replied.

"So, have you guys decided on any names?" Maggie asked from where she sat nearby.

"We did." Greenlee said, flashing a quick smile at Leo. "If it's a boy, it's going to be Benjamin Montgomery after Trey."

"He would have loved that." a reminiscing Maggie nodded.

"And if it's a little Greenlee," Leo continued for his wife, "It's going to be Deanna Paris." He paused momentarily. "After David and Anna."

"What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" Jack snapped loudly, getting the other half of the table's attention.

"I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I didn't figure out that you planted the heroin in Michael's condo." David explained, shrugging his shoulders.

"I planted it?" Jack said in disbelief. "That's ridiculous!"

"According to my sources," David replied, "the police are looking to interview you about a missing item from the evidence room at the police station."

"And of course," Leo teased, "If David hears it, it has to be true."

"Shut up." David replied, glaring at his brother.

"I'm with your brother, Hayward." Jack replied, "Next your sources will be telling you that it was Colonel Mustard in the library."

"Look, don't get me wrong, Jack." David said, resting his arm on the table. "I'm not knocking you. In fact, I salute you."

"Why would the police even think that Jack planted the drugs?" a curious Greenlee asked.

"Well, to give the impression that Michael's death was drug-related," David replied, "And, of course, to take the heat of himself."

"But they can't think that you were involved in the murder." a worried Greenlee said, looking at her father. "I gave you an alibi."

"What!" a stunned Leo exclaimed, not knowing this information.

"Darling, you're such a good daughter." Mary admired.

"Oh, yes," a sarcastic Erica added, "You're the perfect daughter. You're so perfect that your noble father couldn't dream of dragging your precious self into this messy murder case."

"Jack, I think that it was very sweet and considerate." Mary said, trying to override what Erica had said.

"I swore to them that you were on the phone with me all night." Greenlee continued, ignoring the outbursts that had followed her revelation.

"Yes," Jack nodded, knowing this information. "And I told them that that must have been someone else. You were too caught up in what was happening with Leo to remember correctly."

"Yeah, never mind all of the other terrible things Greenlee has done." Erica rolled her eyes, "She mustn't commit perjury."

"Be quiet, Erica." Leo replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Look," David said, trying to calm the situation down. "Why don't we all raise a toast to our surprisingly resourceful D.A. One question, Jack; Did you also shoot the little bastard?"

"David, that's enough." Erica warned.

"That's an insane idea." Mary agreed.

"You're out of line, David." Greenlee added, looking at her brother-in-law.

"You know what?" an angry Jack said, "You can say anything you want, Hayward, but the fact of the matter is that the police are breathing down your neck too."

"Be quiet, Leo." was David's only reply.

"What?" a stunned Leo replied, looking at his brother. "I didn't even say anything!"

"But you were thinking it." David replied before exchanging quiet words with Erica and stealing a kiss from Ms. Kane.

"Yo Davey!" an angry Reggie growled, picking up the gravy bowl. "You want some gravy?"

All eyes watched on in interest as the contents of the bowl quickly splashed down in David's lap, covering the doctor in a light brown liquid. Crying out momentarily, David winced in pain as Erica screamed.

"Damn." Leo muttered, part of him wanting to laugh.

"I spilled it." a sarcastic Reggie said, "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't spill it!" David snapped, "You did that on purpose!"

"I'll go get you some paper towels, bro." Leo volunteered, getting up and heading towards the bathroom.

* * *

"I can." Leo heard the reassuring voice of Kendall say as he headed towards the bathroom. Deciding to delay his mission to get some paper towels momentarily, he peered around the corner and saw Kendall talking to Bianca. "I'm fine. Now, will you stop wasting your energy worrying about me and let's concentrate on our next challenge: getting the D.N.A. to prove that I'm having Michael's baby." 

"All right," a much more relaxed Bianca agreed, "Well, we're going to make that work."

"That we are." Leo interrupted, deciding to make his presence known.

"Leo?" a stunned Kendall replied, "How much did you hear?"

"It's okay, Kendall." Bianca reassured, putting a hand on her sister's arm. "Leo already knows about me."

"What I didn't know is that you weren't." Leo nodded, walking over to the two sisters. He smiled at Kendall. "Bianca's lucky to have a sister like you. One who's willing to risk everything." He looked back and forth between the two. "Whatever you guys need me to do, I'll do it."

"We know that." Bianca grinned.

"I'd better get back to the table." Kendall replied, "Disappoint everyone by coming back."

"I was going to tell you, Leo." Bianca apologized as Kendall walked off.

"Don't worry about it, Binks." Leo shook his head, "I'm just sorry that I haven't been around for you more."

"Well, you do have a baby coming yourself." Bianca reminded, "And the whole Carlos thing, and your father's health, and…"

"Yeah," Leo chuckled, "I guess my life is pretty hectic right now." Stifling his laughter, he looked at his best friend. "So, how are you doing? With the baby?"

"I'm fine." Bianca reassured, "David's making sure that I'm on track, medically, and Maggie and Lena are doing whatever they can to help out. And of course, Kendall is just everything I could ask for."

"Sounds like I don't need to worry about you then." Leo nodded, "You do know that if you ever need a hand to hold or someone to go get a weird midnight craving for you, that I'm your man, right?"

"Of course." Bianca smiled before hugging him. "I honestly don't know how I'd get through all of this without you, Leo. Thanks for being there."

"You're welcome." Leo replied, hugging her back. "What do you say we get back inside, huh? I think that David was just about to kill Reggie or vice versa."

* * *

"You could have woken me up, you know." an unhappy Greenlee remarked as she walked through Pine Valley Airport the next morning and stormed up to her husband. Standing next to a window, Leo turned from where he had been watching a jet until it had disappeared from sight. When his eyes made contact, Greenlee's look softened. "Did Guy get off okay?" 

"Yep." Leo nodded, handing Greenlee a card that had been in his hand. "I guess that he and Madeline are throwing Zoe an engagement party in a few weeks and they want us to come." The tall man scratched a sudden itch on his shoulder. "Seems like it's going to be a pretty posh event."

"We'll have to go." Greenlee agreed, looking at the details.

"Sorry about not waking you up, Greens." Leo apologized, stopping momentarily to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Dad and I both thought that after last night, you needed some sleep."

The Thanksgiving feast had gotten worse after the whole gravy boat incident. The cops had shown up and arrested Kendall for the murder of Michael Cambias, which Leo knew added a new complication to the plan to hide Bianca's pregnancy. In addition, it had been revealed that Jack had not only been suspended at the D.A., but was being investigated by the state bar for a breach of ethics.

"Thank you." an appreciative Greenlee smiled with every trace of anger disappearing from her face.

"Jack's going to get through this, Greenlee." Leo reassured, resting his hands on his wife's shoulders. "You'll see."

"Yeah…" Greenlee started before her voice trailed off. "Leo…"

"What?" a curious Leo asked, "What is it?"

"The baby…" Greenlee continued as tears starting falling from her eyes.

"What about the baby?" a panicked Leo replied, feeling his heart pound away in his chest. "Greenlee, is the baby all right? Do you need a doctor?" He dropped his arms and started searching his pockets. "Here, let me call David."

"Leo," Greenlee laughed, looking up at her husband. "the baby just moved."

"What?" a stunned Leo said, stopping everything he was doing in an instant.

"The baby moved!" Greenlee repeated through tears of happiness. Gently, she grabbed her husband's hand and placed on her stomach. "Feel that?"

"I…" a disappointed Leo started before feeling a flutter coming from within Greenlee's stomach. His smile widened as far as possible and he could feel tears of his own coming. "Oh my God, Greenlee."

"That's our baby, Leo!" Greenlee exclaimed happily. "It's really there!"

"We're really going to have a baby, Greenlee." Leo laughed as if the realization hadn't hit the pair before. "We're going to be a mommy and daddy."

"Leo," Greenlee smiled quietly, reaching up and wiping a tear of happiness away from his eye. "Thank you for making me a mommy."

"Thank you for making me a daddy." Leo replied, putting a hand on her cheek before feeling his lips connect with hers.

To be continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Notes: Another late chapter, another lame apology from me. I transferred to a division at work this summer that involved A LOT of travelling (I mean if I was home three days straight, it was a miracle). While the paychecks were good, it left me almost no time to write. Hopefully, now that I'm back to doing my usual job, these updates won't be so infrequent. Thank you for your patience, and special thanks to Swiperfox for hounding me every time she saw me.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

"Simone!" a friendly, upbeat Greenlee said as she walked into the main office of Fusion Cosmetics later that same morning. The brown-haired mother-to-be was still ecstatic over having felt her baby move. "You are never going to guess what happened!" Not noticing much of a reaction emanating from her friend, Greenlee paused and worry began to fill her eyes. "Simone?" 

"What?" a quiet Simone asked, looking up. From her puffy eyes and running mascara, Greenlee could tell that the black-haired, Hispanic woman had been crying.

"My news can wait." Greenlee shook her head, wanting to comfort her friend. "What happened?" Knowing Simone, Mrs. du Pres managed a small smile. "And don't tell me that you're crying over some guy."

"Greenlee…" Simone started in an unsure tone. She had noticed her friend's exuberant mood when she had walked in and didn't want to ruin it. "Greenlee, Carlos died."

"What?" a stunned Greenlee replied, looking at Simone.

"What?" Kendall asked at the same time as she and Mia walked in.

"Carlos died." Simone repeated before hysterically sobbing and falling into Greenlee's arms. As she smoothed Simone's hair with her hand, a thought popped into Greenlee's brain.

"Do you want to take her?" Greenlee asked, looking at Kendall and deciding to not even ask how she had gotten out of jail so fast. "I've got to call Leo."

"Of course." Mia nodded, gently taking Simone from Greenlee.

* * *

"Okay," Leo said, looking at the piles of clothing on the floor before him. "Darks, whites, towels and reds. Which one should I start with?" Hearing the phone ring, du Pres jerked his head up before running into the other room. Landing on his stomach on the couch, he managed to grab the phone with one hand. "Hello?" 

"Hey." a hesitant Greenlee greeted, walking out into the hallway where she could hear her cell phone better and to give Simone the privacy she needed.

"Hey, sweetheart." Leo smiled, recognizing his wife's voice. "Aren't you supposed to be working?" He chuckled slightly. "Tsk, tsk, Greens."

"Leo, please." Greenlee sighed deeply, still not sure of how to tell him.

"What's wrong, Greenlee?" a curious Leo asked, realizing that his wife was the bearer of bad news.

"Simone just came from the hospital this morning." Greenlee replied, leaning up against a wall. Realizing that there was no real way to sugarcoat her news, she decided to be straightforward. "Leo, Carlos passed away."

"What?" Leo exclaimed, hoping that he hadn't heard right.

"Carlos died, Leo." Greenlee repeated.

"Oh, my God." Leo said quietly, moving so that he was sitting on the couch. Thinking about his friend, the only person who had known about him when he had been in hiding besides his father, du Pres slowly ran a hand through his hair. "When I talked to him on the phone yesterday, he sounded like he was on the rebound." He slowly shook his head. "How in the hell is this possible?"

"From what I gather from Simone," Greenlee sighed, glancing back into the next room. "They don't know exactly what happened. Juan Pablo…"

"Oh, God." Leo interrupted, dropping his hand at the mention of Carlos' older brother. "Someone's got to find Juan Pablo."

* * *

"He's pretty much holed up himself up in the chapel." Maria Santos-Grey explained as Leo accompanied her and her husband, Edmund Grey, down a lengthy corridor of Pine Valley Hospital. "Edmund and I have both tried to talk to him, but…" 

"He doesn't want to talk." a sympathetic Leo nodded, knowing full well what the man inside the chapel was going through. He only hoped that he could help the wealthy Hispanic man get through it. "Any news on why Carlos died?"

"They're still looking into it." Edmund shook his head as they stopped outside the chapel door. "Hopefully, they'll be able to tell us something soon." The older, brown-haired man sighed. "So, we can all have some sort of closure."

"Yeah." Leo agreed, nodding his head. "Could you guys do me a favor? Greenlee said that she'd head here after she took care of a few things at work…"

"We'll show her over here." an understanding Maria nodded.

"Thanks." Leo said appreciatively before quietly opening the door and heading inside. If Juan Pablo knew he was there, the man sitting in the front pew didn't show it. "Juan Pablo."

"Leo." a broken, quiet Juan Pablo replied, not taking his eyes off of the altar.

"I came the minute that I heard." Leo continued, slowly placing his hands inside his pockets. He sighed deeply and shook his head slowly. "I know that I should be talking about how Carlos was a good man and that I'm sorry to see him go." Thinking about his friend, he paused momentarily. "But I've been where you are, and I know that that's no help. So, I guess that I'm just here to tell you that whatever you need me to do, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you." Juan Pablo replied, "But I'd like to be alone now."

"I understand." Leo nodded, leaving the room. Wordlessly, he wandered over to a nearby bench, put his head in his hands and waited for Greenlee to come. Naturally, he found himself thinking about Carlos and how the other man had been there for him when he had been in hiding. Reyes had been his bodyguard and one of the few people that had known about Leo actually being alive when he was presumed dead. Furthermore, it had been Carlos who had agreed to keep an eye on Greenlee for Leo when the time had come to leave France. The brown-haired man knew that Reyes could have just forgotten about him, still a mere stranger at that point, but he hadn't. He had watched over Greenlee like she was his own wife, and for that, Leo was eternally grateful.

A cup of coffee being offered to him broke Leo out of his thoughts and caused him to jerk his head upwards. A silent David stood there with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"I just heard about Carlos." Hayward said quietly, "I'm so sorry, Leo."

"Thanks." Leo replied, taking the coffee from his older half-brother.

"You'd think that as a doctor, you'd eventually get used to this." David said, sitting down. The dark-haired man shook his head. "Never happens."

"Keeps you human, I guess." Leo shrugged, looking straight ahead. A small smile returned to his face. "Probably a good thing for people like you, Mr. God Complex."

"Okay, given what's happened, I'm going to ignore that comment." David replied, hiding a chuckle. Sighing the last of it out, he put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "You know, I never really knew Carlos, but I'll always be grateful to him for everything he did for you."

"He did look after me and then Greenlee while I was in hiding." Leo nodded, "I just wish that there was some way that I could pay him back for all of that."

"You can, Leo." Greenlee reassured as she walked towards the two brothers. "You can pay Carlos back by helping Juan Pablo get through this."

"She's right, little bro." David agreed, squeezing Leo's shoulder. "You and I both know what it's like to lose a little brother." He shook his head. "There's no way he can get through it alone."

"Thanks, you two." an appreciative Leo smiled before a thought popped into his head. His smile quickly changed into a frown. "Will you two excuse me? I need to call my dad. He was Carlos' employer for quite a while."

"Of course." Greenlee smiled, quickly stealing a kiss from her husband. As she watched Leo walk out into the parking lot, she sighed heavily and closed her eyes. "God."

"Are you going to be okay, Greenlee?" a curious David asked, getting up and walking over to his sister-in-law. "I know that you and Carlos were quite close, so this can't be easy on you either. Especially with your hormones running rampant already."

"I'll be fine, David." Greenlee reassured, nodding her head. "It just sucks to see Leo in so much pain."

"Yeah." David agreed as Leo came back inside. "That was quick."

"Couldn't get a hold of him." Leo replied, stuffing his cell phone back into his pocket. Letting out a sigh, he ran a weary hand through his hair. "And I didn't feel comfortable leaving a message on his machine." He turned towards Greenlee. "Not that I want to get rid of you, Greens, but why don't you go back to Fusion? I'm sure that Simone needs you more than I do right now."

"Are you going to stay here?" Greenlee wondered, looking up at her husband.

"I'll take him back to the loft." David volunteered, clapping a hand on Leo's shoulder. The brown-haired man turned to look at the dark-haired, older one. "You can try calling your dad again from there."

"Sounds like a plan." Leo nodded, wrapping his arms around Greenlee, who still looked reluctant to go. "Don't worry me about me, baby." Concern suddenly appeared in his eyes and he glanced downwards. "Are you holding up okay?"

"I'm fine." Greenlee reassured, rubbing his back. Reluctant to leave her husband's embrace for what was sure to greet her back at the Fusion office, the brown-haired woman sighed heavily. "I'd better get going. Kendall and Mia can only handle so much."

"All right." Leo nodded before quickly kissing the top of her head. "You will make sure that she knows to call if she needs anything, right?"

"Right." Greenlee nodded back.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" a surprised Leo asked, freezing in his tracks as he stepped off the elevator into the hallway that led to the apartment. A couple of delivery men were unloading and stacking boxes against the wall of the du Pres' penthouse, and Justin McCoy and Derek Frye stood nearby. Thinking the two men must not have heard him, Leo repeated himself. "What the hell is this?" 

"Huh," David remarked, following behind Leo. The dark-haired doctor folded his arms across his chest. "Seems like you two gentlemen need to study up on your job descriptions." He flashed a grin. "Cops are supposed take evidence, not leave it."

"We were trying to reach you, Leo." Derek Frye said in his usual no-nonsense tone. The African American man walked over to the two brothers and handed du Pres an envelope. Immediately, du Pres ripped it open and examined the papers inside. "A few months back, we found a storage unit that Vanessa had rented out."

"We're acting under the assumption that neither of you upstanding gentlemen knew about it." Justin McCoy added with his usual tone of suspicion. Not that anyone could blame him, of course, as the names David Hayward and Leo du Pres did have at least a few crimes each listed under them.

"A storage unit?" David chuckled, looking over Leo's shoulder at the papers Derek had handed him. "That doesn't seem like Vanessa."

"She was always about living life on the run." Leo nodded, finding it hard not to be curious as to what his mother would have kept.

"Anyway, it all passed through evidence." Derek continued, looking mainly at Leo. "And seeing as how Vanessa's will did name you as her sole heir…"

"It's now my mess to deal with." Leo nodded, not letting the cop continue. He remembered how heartbreaking and infuriating it had been for the two brothers months prior when Vanessa's will had been read and they discovered that, in one last show of favoritism, she had left everything to Leo and nothing to David. To compensate for it, however, du Pres had given David half of the small fortune Vanessa still had left. "Well, we'll take it from here, Derek. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Frye nodded, heading for the elevator with McCoy and the deliverymen in tow.

"What the hell do you think is in all of these boxes?" Leo asked when he and David were alone again. His brown eyes looked between the boxes and his older brother who was looking at them with disdain.

"I don't know." David replied, "But I'm all for burning them as is." He shook his head. "Nothing that came from Vanessa can be good."

"I don't think so, David." Leo disagreed, looking at the boxes again. "The Vanessa I knew was all about living life on the run with nothing to keep us attached anywhere." He looked at his brother once more. "If she kept something, it's bound to be valuable."

"All right." David shrugged, not being able to argue with that. "Let's open them up."

* * *

"Oh, Greenlee," a much more composed yet still somber Simone greeted as the brown-haired, pregnant woman walked back into the Fusion office. Torres was sitting at her desk with Kendall and Mia hanging around nearby. The only traces of tears left on the Hispanic woman's face were red eyes and dried mascara. "How's Leo?" 

"He took it pretty hard." Greenlee nodded, walking over and embracing her friend. "But he told me that he'd rather have me here with you. Besides, David's with him, so I don't need to worry about him."

"And Juan Pablo?" a curious Simone asked as the pair slowly separated.

"He's hiding out in the hospital chapel." Greenlee sighed, "Edmund and Maria said that they would keep an eye on him. Make sure that he doesn't do anything dumb." She lightly squeezed her friend's shoulder. "How are you?"

"I've been better." Simone replied, looking at the floor.

"He was a good man." Mia sighed with a reminiscing look in her eyes.

"He was." Kendall nodded in agreement.

"The best." Greenlee added, nodding her own head. "He watched over me for Leo like I was his own wife. It takes a special kind of man to be able to do that and not take advantage of the situation."

"Yeah." Simone smiled, "So, what was your news anyway?"

"Huh?" a confused Greenlee asked, looking at her friend. "When you walked in this morning." Simone reminded, "You said that you had some news, remember?"

"Oh," Greenlee replied, waving it off. "That doesn't matter now."

"Oh, come on." Kendall encouraged, "We could all use some good news right about now."

"Yeah." Mia agreed, nodding her head.

"Go ahead, Greenlee." Simone added.

"Well, Leo and I…" Greenlee started, looking around at her Fusion friends.

* * *

"…Felt the baby move this morning." Leo said as he and David moved the last box out of five total into the penthouse. 

"Really?" a surprised David said, looking at his younger brother.

"Yeah." Leo nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "It made me realize that there's really a baby inside Greenlee's stomach, and that this whole thing is really happening." He plopped down on the couch. "Don't get me wrong, David. It's amazing to think that I'm going to be a dad, but it's still scaring the hell out of me."

"Unfortunately," David sympathized, "I don't think that that's going to go away anytime soon, Leo." Grabbing one of the smaller boxes, he sat down next to his brother. "Even when the kid is old enough to go off to school and start their own life, you're still going feel like that."

"Yeah." Leo nodded, knowing David was right.

"You want to do the honors?" David asked, gesturing to the box in front of the two men.

"Sure thing." Leo replied, grabbing a nearby box cutter. As he cut through the tape, he couldn't help but wonder what awaited the two men inside, and knew that David was thinking the exact same thing. The brothers Hayward and du Pres soon got their answer. "A book?"

"Looks like a photo album." David said, taking it out and opening it to the first page. A young boy with light brown hair standing in front of Big Ben stared back them with from the sole picture on the yellowed page.

"Oh my God." a stunned Leo said, recognizing the boy. "That's me." He gently took the album from David, staring in disbelief at his younger self. "I had to have been like 4 or 5 when this was taken." His mind flashed back to his childhood. "Yeah, Vanessa and I only lived in London for about a year."

"Wow." David said quietly, awestruck himself. Seeing as how Vanessa had never told him about Leo, Hayward had never been able to be a part of his younger half-brother's life until his mid-20s. A teasing smile appeared on the doctor's face. "You still have the same scruffy haircut."

"Shut up." Leo replied, turning the page. This time, the younger Leo stood in front of the Eiffel Tower. "Yeah, this has to be when I was four. We took a vacation in Paris that summer." Eager to see what else was in the box, he started just flipping through the album. "God. It's like my whole childhood flashing before my eyes."

"Yeah." David nodded with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Oh!" Leo suddenly realized, closing the book on his lap. Time and time again, their mother had told the pair that she had thrown out or burned any and all pictures from David's childhood. The younger brother put a hand to his temple and his voice suddenly turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, David. I forgot about…" Cursing himself mentally, du Pres dropped his hand. "Damn it. I'm such an idiot."

"It's all right, Leo." David reassured, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. His voice, however, was still full of sorrow. "Really."

"Well," an optimistic Leo said, looking around at the boxes that surrounded the pair. "Maybe Vanessa lied to you, David. I mean, there's no way that all of this can be mine. Even if I was her favorite, there's got to be some mention of you and Trey somewhere in here, right?"

"I wouldn't hold your breath, little brother." David sighed, squeezing Leo's shoulder.

* * *

"What in the hell is all of this?" a curious, surprised Greenlee asked as she walked into the apartment a few hours later. Leo looked up briefly from where he sat on the couch, staring at the same album from earlier. "Don't tell me that Guy had even more stuff to send you." 

"No, Vanessa." Leo replied, turning back to the album.

"Vanessa?" Greenlee repeated, "And you didn't just burn it on sight?" Interested in what her husband was looking at, the pregnant woman shuffled over and peered over her husband's shoulder at the photograph of the young boy. "Oh, my God, Leo. Is that…"

"Yeah." Leo confirmed, handing the photo album up to her. "That's me, Greens."

"Hmm." Greenlee chuckled, studying the picture. "Why am I not surprised that you were absolutely adorable?" She gently ruffled Leo's hair. "You've kept your hair pretty much the same too."

"Hey!" Leo exclaimed, moving out of her reach and fixing his hair. "You and David been plotting against me or something, Greenlee?"

"It seems that I've touched a nerve." she giggled in response before walking around the sofa and sitting down next to Leo, who wrapped an arm around her. "Where did David go anyway? Doesn't he want to be here to help you go through this stuff?"

"No," Leo sighed, "no reason for him to be here."

"What do you mean by that?" Greenlee asked, her brow furrowing.

"None of this is his." Leo shook his head, "Vanessa's always throw it in his face that she's gotten rid of any trace of his childhood." He put a hand to his forehead, covering his eyes. "The man doesn't even have a picture of his father, Greenlee."

"Oh, my God." Greenlee sympathized, rubbing Leo's back. "Poor David."

"Yeah." Leo agreed, his voice dripping with disdain. "Welcome to Vanessa's own special brand of parenting." Dropping his hand, the man looked around at the boxes surrounding him. "I'm just hoping that I can find some trace of him or Trey in all…" Remaining quiet for a moment, he shook his head again. "What am I thinking? Trey was put up for adoption, so there probably isn't anything of his in all of this."

"Yeah." Greenlee agreed, reaching into the box and pulling out a manila envelope. She opened it without hesitation. "Huh, it's your birth certificate."

"Wow," Leo remarked jokingly as he peered over Greenlee's shoulder. "I didn't think that Vanessa kept the real one."

"Notice that she left the father space blank." Greenlee pointed out.

"Probably in case Guy didn't turn out to be." Leo assumed with a shrug.

"Did you ever get a hold of him?" Greenlee asked, resting against her husband's chest.

"No," Leo shook his head, "I forgot to even try." He kissed the top of her head. "I sort of got sidetracked by all of this." Du Pres quickly glanced at his watch. "It's about midnight in Paris now, so it's a bit late to call him."

"I'm sure that he wouldn't mind you waking him up to tell him about Carlos though." Greenlee pointed out with a slight smile.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that." Leo nodded, reaching for the nearby phone.

"You mean I'm wrong sometimes?" Greenlee replied, feigning shock.

"Hey!" a teasing Leo warned the now chuckling Greenlee, "Be good."

"What?" Greenlee smiled, running a hand up and down Leo's body. "Are you going to punish me if I keep being bad?"

"Maybe." Leo replied, wiggling his brow for a moment.

"Call your dad," Greenlee said, kissing him as she got up from the couch. "Then, maybe, we can have some fun."

"Tease!" Leo called after Greenlee as she retreated into the bedroom. Shaking his head, the man sighed and started dialing the familiar number for his father a continent away.

"Du Pres residence." a tired-sounding male voice that wasn't Guy's greeted from the other end. Furrowing his brow in confusion for a moment, Leo put a hand to his forehead as he realized the speaker.

"Jean." he greeted cordially.

"I see someone doesn't seem to realize that there's a time difference." Jean sneered, letting Leo know that he also knew who he was talking to. "What do you want, Leo?"

"I need to talk to Dad." Leo replied, dropping his hand.

"I'm sure that it can wait until morning." Jean said before Leo heard nothing but dial tone.

"What the..." a surprised Leo exclaimed, holding the phone away from his ear. "He hung up on me?"

"Who hung up on you?" Greenlee asked, walking into the living room.

"Jean." Leo replied before stopping to look at his wife, who was clad only in her bra, underwear, and a silk robe that she had thrown on top, but had forgotten to close. "Wow."

"Oh, please." Greenlee smiled, knowing that she had gotten Leo's attention. Frowning, she put her hands on her stomach, which was starting to stick out. "Unfortunately, thanks to this, I'm not that sexy anymore."

"No," Leo agreed, getting up and walking over to her. He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "You're way sexier."

"You're so sweet." Greenlee replied, her smile back on her face. "So, Jean hung up on you?"

"Yeah." Leo sighed in frustration, "Said that whatever it was could wait until morning."

"That smug..." Greenlee started, empathizing with her husband's frustration. "Does he want your father to find out from the morning papers that Carlos died?"

"Well, I don't think that it would exactly be international news." Leo shrugged, "But yeah. That's the vibe I'm getting."

"Are you sure that you and Jean aren't mixed up?" Greenlee asked, rubbing her husband's back. "Seems to me that he seems to have inherited Vanessa's personality while you inherited Madeline's."

"Nope." Leo smiled, tucking a strand of Greenlee's hair behind her ear. "I pretty sure that David inherited all of the pompous ass genes Vanessa had to offer."

"Hmm." Greenlee giggled, looking up into Leo's eyes. "Why don't we head to bed and just forget about all of this?"

"Bed?" a puzzled Leo replied, glancing at his watch. "It's only 6 'o' clock, Greens."

"I know." Greenlee purred, snuggling up against him. "I said go to bed. I didn't say go to sleep."

"I like the way you think." Leo grinned back.

To be continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews! And blame what happens to Leo in this chapter on Swiperfox...she put the idea in my head! LOL.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

"Someone's been busy this morning." Greenlee commented, hearing the front door open. The brunette businesswoman had woken up that morning to find that her husband had already gone; something she was not happy about. "You could have left a note, you know!" 

"Sorry, Greenlee." Leo smiled.

"It's okay." Greenlee replied, turning to face her husband. Her jaw suddenly dropped as she noticed that his hair was much different than it had been the previous night! It had been trimmed down to what was known as a faux hawk; it had been shortened on the sides, but remained its usual length in the middle. "Leo?!"

"You like it?" Leo asked as Greenlee walked over to him.

"What made you..." Greenlee wondered, running her hand over it.

"After you and David both made comments the other day," Leo shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets. "I figured that a new look could be a good thing for me."

"It makes you look older." Greenlee nodded approvingly, "Makes you look like that guy on that show about Vegas."

"Oh, yeah." Leo replied, nodding in recognition before deciding to change the subject. "So, why aren't you at work?"

"Morning sickness." Greenlee sighed as Leo pulled her into an embrace. "Ryan told me that any morning I didn't feel so well, I didn't have to go in right away."

"Good man." Leo replied, kissing the top of Greenlee's head. Feeling his cell-phone vibrate in his pocket, his hand traveled from his wife's shoulder, into his pocket and back out again. "It's Bianca." He put the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Binks!"

"Hey." the younger woman greeted in return. "Are you busy?"

"No." Leo shook his head, "Why?"

"I have a doctor's appointment in about an hour at the free clinic." Bianca replied, "Maggie was supposed to come with me, but she has an exam that she can't get out of. So..."

"Say no more." Leo smiled, exchanging glances with Greenlee. "I'll be right there, Binks." Hanging up the phone, he looked again at his wife. "Uh, Bianca needs me to go with her to some doctor appointment."

"Everything okay with her?" a curious Greenlee asked as Leo put his coat back on.

"Yeah," Leo lied, not feeling like the time was right to tell Greenlee that Bianca was still pregnant. "Yeah, it's just routine check-up after having that abortion awhile back." He kissed her on the lips. "I won't be gone long."

"Take your time." a smiling Greenlee replied after kissing him back.

* * *

"Oh, my God!" Bianca exclaimed as Leo walked into the waiting room. "What did you do?" 

"What?" Leo grinned, looking around innocently. "What are you talking about?"

"Your hair!" Bianca laughed, running her hand through it. "You cut it!"

"Well, David and Greenlee were razzing me about it, so..." Leo shrugged, "You like it?"

"It's a good look for you." Bianca nodded, hugging her best friend. "Thanks for coming down here!"

"No problem." Leo smiled, hugging her back. "I told you that you could count on me whenever you need me, Bianca, and I meant it."

"Bianca Montgomery!" a nurse announced, opening the door between the waiting room and the examination rooms.

"That's us!" Bianca smiled at Leo before walking up to the overweight, black woman.

"Right this way." the nurse replied, leading Bianca and Leo down a hallway until coming to a stop outside an empty room. She motioned for Bianca to go inside before turning to Leo. "I'm going to have to ask the proud papa to wait outside for a moment."

"Oh, I'm not..." Leo started before the door closed in his face after the nurse followed Bianca in. Realizing that continuing his sentence was futile, the brown-haired man just laughed and shook his head.

"You can go in now." the nurse said, opening the door moments later. As Leo walked inside, she headed out. "The doctor will see you in just a few minutes."

"Okay." Leo acknowledged as the door closed again. "Damn! I knocked you up without even trying!"

"Hmm." Bianca, who was now dressed in a gown, giggled, "What does it say about you if I can't remember any of it?"

"That's cold, Binks." Leo replied, joining in her laughter. However, he could tell that his best friend was still unsure about being there. "You nervous?"

"Yeah, even though it's only a routine checkup." Bianca admitted,pausing momentarily. "Is that stupid?"

"No way!" Leo reassured, walking over and wrapping his arms around her. "Having a baby is huge!"

"How's Greenlee doing with all of this?" Bianca wondered.

"Well," Leo said, letting go of her and sitting down in a chair. "She's showing a bit more than you are," A smile crept onto his face. "Which isn't making her easy to live with."

"I'd imagine." Bianca nodded, knowing Leo's wife all too well.

"We've also got an appointment tomorrow to see what we're having." Leo shared, reminding himself of that fact.

"Really?" an interested Bianca asked.

"Yeah." Leo replied before cracking a smile once more. "Glad it's not here though. That nurse would probably wonder what sort of guy I am."

"Knocking up two women at once." a giggling Bianca agreed as the door opened again.

"Don't think he's not capable of it." David replied, walking inside. As his eyes focused in on Leo's haircut, the doctor stopped in his tracks and a puzzled look appeared on his face. "What in God's name..." He narrowed his eyes critically. "You look like a punk!"

"Whatever." Leo rolled his eyes, "What are you doing here anyway? You're a cardiologist, David, not an obstetrician."

"Seeing as how it's a free clinic," David shrugged, "I kind of have to be a jack-of-all-trades."

"You're a jack-something, all right." Leo agreed, crossing his arms. "At least, I don't have to color my hair unlike some people."

"Weren't you blonde when you came to town, Leo?" Bianca pointed out.

"That's..." Leo struggled to reply, knowing Bianca was right. "That's completely different."

"Thanks." David winked at the younger woman.

"Don't mention it." Bianca laughed as Leo stuck his tongue out at her.

"Traitor." he commented, slinking down in his seat. Feeling his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, Leo pulled it out and glanced at the Caller ID. "Dad."

"You'll need to answer it outside." David informed, pointing to a nearby sign that stated that the use of cell-phones was prohibited in the examination rooms.

"Go ahead, Leo." Bianca replied, nodding her head. "I'll be okay until you come back."

"All right." Leo smiled, clapping his best friend on the shoulder and hurrying as fast as he could outside. Leaning against a nearby wall, he put the phone to his ear. "Sorry about that, Dad."

"I was about to hang up." Guy replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I was in the doctor's office." Leo explained, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Bianca wanted me to come with her to her appointment today."

"That's all right." Guy reassured, "So, Jean told me that it was you who called late last night."

"Yeah, yeah." Leo replied, deciding not to tell his father about how his half-brother had hung up on him for now. "I've got some pretty bad news, Dad."

"What is it?" a worried Guy asked, "It's not the baby, is it?"

"No, no." Leo replied, "The baby's fine, Dad. Carlos died."

"My God..." a stunned Guy said, remaining silent for a few moments. "How? I thought that you said he was doing fine yesterday."

"He was." Leo nodded, running a hand through his now-short hair. "That's what's so bizarre about all of this."

"You will give my condolences to Juan Pablo, won't you?" Guy requested.

"Yeah, of course." Leo replied.

"And Leo?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise me that you won't go after the Calvatras if Carlos' death does turn out to be because of foul play." a concerned Guy said, lowering his voice. "You barely managed to survive dealing with your mother's organization, and, from what I know, these people are much more dangerous."

"I can't make promises that I can't keep, Dad." an honest Leo replied.

"Leo, please!" a desperate Guy begged.

"All right, all right." Leo replied, trying to pacify his father. "I won't do anything stupid."

* * *

"Zoe!" a surprised Greenlee said, opening the door to the apartment and finding her new sister-in-law standing there. "What are you doing here?" 

"Oh, I've been in Philadelphia on business," the older woman replied, walking inside the apartment. "So I thought that I'd come by and say hi to my baby brother." A smile appeared on her face as she looked Greenlee over. "And you and the little one too, of course."

"Well, Leo's out on an errand," Greenlee said, shutting the door behind her. "But he should be back soon." Motioning for Zoe to sit on the couch, the pregnant woman headed for the nearby kitchen. "Can I get you some coffee or anything?"

"No, no, no." Zoe shook her head, rushing over to where Greenlee was. "I can get it myself. You should be sitting down." She tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "How is the baby doing anyway?"

"Good." Greenlee nodded, getting Zoe a cup from one of the cupboards as the other woman started the coffee maker. "Good. Actually, Leo and I find out what we're having tomorrow."

"Really?" an excited Zoe smiled, turning to look at her sister-in-law. "That's great! You will let Auntie Zoe know the minute you find out, right?"

"Of course." Greenlee replied, "By the way, congratulations on your engagement!"

"Thank you." Zoe said, blushing slightly. "Pierre's the most amazing man on this planet. I didn't even have to think twice when he asked me."

"I know the feeling." Greenlee smiled, thinking about when Leo proposed to her. She was jilted out of her thoughts by the sound of the front door opening.

"Greens, I'm home!" Leo announced as he and Bianca walked into the loft. As Zoe and Greenlee reentered the living room from the kitchen, his brown eyes went wide. "Zoe!"

"There's my gorgeous little brother." Zoe smiled, walking over and hugging Leo tightly.

"She was in Philly on business." Greenlee explained before smiling at Leo's companion. "Hi Bianca."

"Hi." Bianca waved as Leo and Zoe broke their embrace.

"Oh!" Leo said, realizing that there were introductions to be made. "Binks, this is my sister, Zoe. Zoe, this is Bianca Montgomery, my best friend and Greenlee's cousin."

"Nice to meet you." Bianca smiled, offering her hand for the woman to shake.

"Pleasure is all mine, sweetheart." Zoe smiled, shaking the younger woman's hand.

"When I first came to Pine Valley, I lived with her and her mother for a while." Leo said, deciding to explain where he and Bianca had met. "She's actually Erica Kane's daughter."

"No way." an impressed Zoe said, looking from Bianca to Leo and back again. "The Erica Kane?"

"Yeah," Bianca grinned, "the one and only."

"Thank God!" Greenlee remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Be nice." Leo scolded, putting his arm around his wife and kissing the top of her head.

"I am." Greenlee replied, smiling up at him.

"Speaking of that," a suddenly nervous Bianca said, "Greenlee, can I talk to you in the other room for a second?"

"Sure." Greenlee nodded, puzzled. It was no secret that her rivalry with Erica had made her no friends where Bianca was concerned. The only thing that the two seemed to have in common was that they loved Leo.

"What's that about?" Leo wondered, watching the two walk into the nearby bedroom and close the door behind them.

* * *

"Dr. David Hayward." David greeted, putting his cell-phone to his ear without glancing at the Caller ID. 

"Bonjour, David." the friendly voice of Guy replied. He had debated calling David ever since he had spoken with Leo earlier. On one hand, he didn't want to bother the busy doctor, but on the other, he knew that Hayward would share his position on Leo going after the Calvatras and, unlike himself, David was in the same zip code as Leo.

"Guy!" David said, immediately paying more attention. "This is a surprise! Is everything all right?"

"I'm not sure." Guy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm worried about Leo."

"What has he done now?" David shook his head, knowing that to say that his little brother was hassle-free was a lie.

"Well," Guy replied, "I'm sure that Leo's told you that Carlos, God rest his soul, had been hiding out from an Argentinean crime family known as the Calvatras, right?"

"Yeah." David nodded, wondering where the Count was going. "Wait! You think that, now that Carlos is dead, Leo's going to go after these guys?"

"He promised me that he wouldn't, but..." Guy sighed again.

"Knowing him, he probably will." David replied, rubbing his forehead momentarily. "Don't worry, Guy. I'll personally make sure that Leo doesn't do anything stupid."

"Merci, David." an appreciative Guy thanked.

* * *

"Okay." Greenlee said, making sure that the bedroom door shut. She turned to Bianca, who had sat down on the bed. "What's going on, Bianca? What do you need to tell me?" 

"Leo hasn't told you, has he?" Bianca asked as Greenlee sat down next to her.

"Told me what?" a puzzled Greenlee replied, furrowing her brow.

"I didn't have the abortion, Greenlee." Bianca revealed, "I'm still pregnant."

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

* * *

"I wonder what's going on in there." Leo commented, looking at the bedroom door that closed him off from Greenlee and Bianca's conversation. 

"Why?" Zoe asked from where she stood nearby. Suddenly, a teasing smile appeared on the older, blonde woman's face. "Are your ears burning, little brother?"

"It's not that." Leo shook his head, still watching the door. "It's just that Greenlee and Bianca have never really gotten along."

* * *

"What did you say?" Greenlee asked, not sure if she had heard Bianca right even though she was sitting right next to her. 

"I didn't have the abortion, Greenlee." Bianca repeated, "I'm still pregnant. That doctor's appointment Leo and I went to today was a sonogram." She restrained herself from laughing at Greenlee's wide eyes and open mouth. "Say something."

"Oh, my God." Greenlee finally managed to say moments later. Her features took on a puzzled appearance when she turned back towards the other woman. "But why would you tell me, Bianca? We aren't exactly close."

"I know," Bianca nodded, "and I don't expect us to be, Greenlee. However, you are married to Leo and it's not right to ask him to keep secrets from you."

"Leo loves you, Bianca" Greenlee reassured, "He likes to think of you as the little sister he never had." A smile appeared on her face. "I'm sure that when you asked him to keep your secret, he knew that he could never, ever tell me."

"He's a good guy." Bianca nodded again.

"He is." Greenlee agreed before wrapping her hand around Bianca's. "Hey, I know that we aren't exactly the best of friends, but you do know that you can call me if you need someone to lend a sympathetic ear as far as all of this pregnancy stuff goes, right?"

"Thanks, Greenlee." Bianca said, hugging her.

* * *

"I wonder who that is." Leo said as someone pounding on the door suddenly interrupted his conversation with Zoe. Upon reaching the door, the brown-haired man took a moment to glance through the peephole before throwing the door open. "David! Hey!" 

"What's wrong with you?" David snapped, pushing past Leo into the penthouse.

"Hell of a greeting." a grinning Leo remarked, shutting the door.

"I'm just curious as to why you feel the need to always make us worry about you, Leo." David explained, folding his arms across his chest.

"What did he do?" a curious Zoe asked, looking from brother to brother.

"That's what I'd like to know." an equally baffled Leo said.

"Your father called me." David told Zoe, causing Leo to groan and put a hand to his forehead. "Seems like he's worrying himself to death because he's sure that SOMEONE is going to go after the mob that probably killed Carlos."

"What?" Zoe exclaimed, turning back to Leo. "Leo! You can't be serious!"

"He'd better not be!" an angry Greenlee exclaimed in agreement as she and Bianca re-entered the room.

"Greens, I..." a trapped Leo started to explain as his wife stormed over to him.

"Is your friendship with Carlos and your weird desire to play the hero really more important than me and the baby?" Greenlee interrupted, looking her husband square in the eye.

"You know that it's not, Greenlee." Leo reassured, taking his wife's hands in his. "Nothing's more important to me than the two of you."

"We can't lose you again, Leo." Bianca commented, putting her hands on her stomach. "Not now."

"You're not going to." Leo promised as Greenlee slowly let go of him.

"You can't promise that, Leo." Zoe pointed out.

"Especially since these guys sound like they're more dangerous than Vanessa's cronies." David sighed.

"Look!" Leo exclaimed, tired of feeling like everyone that he loved was attacking him. He thanked God that his father and Madeline weren't there as he'd probably have to hear it from them too. "You guys don't need to worry about me, all right? I said that I'm not going to go after them and I'm not!" Shaking his head, he grabbed his coat, which was lying nearby. "I need some air."

* * *

"A bit early to be drinking, isn't it?" a voice asked from behind Leo, clamping a hand down on his shoulder. After escaping the penthouse and the seeming coordinated attack/lecture on him, du Pres had retreated to the Roadside Bar, one of Pine Valley's sleazier nightspots. Turning around, he was surprised to see that Ryan also happened to be there. "Although, if I had that haircut, I'd be drinking too." 

"Shut up." Leo replied, turning back to his drink.

"Yikes." Ryan said, motioning to a nearby empty table. Getting up from his seat at the bar, Leo followed him over and sat down. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing." Leo lied, taking a swig of his beer.

"Yeah, right." Ryan rolled his eyes, not buying that for a moment. Lavery's voice took on a somber tone the next time he spoke. "By the way, I heard about Carlos." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry, man. I know that you guys were close."

"Yeah." Leo sighed deeply, thinking about his friend.

"Hey!" Ryan shouted over to the bartender. "Can we get a pitcher over here, please? Cheapest stuff you've got."

"Sure thing." the bartender nodded.

"You don't have to..." Leo started, shaking his head.

"Eh," a grinning Ryan shrugged, "no offense, man, but you look like you could use getting drunk. Besides, we haven't hung out like this in a long while."

"Not since you left." Leo agreed, referring to when Ryan had left town the previous summer.

"So, you and Greenlee have a fight or something?" Ryan asked, deciding to jump on the fact that Leo was actually talking now.

"Me, Greenlee, Bianca, David and my sister, Zoe." Leo replied.

"Damn!" Ryan sympathized as the bartender set down a pitcher of beer and two glasses. "No wonder you're here."

"Yeah." Leo nodded.

"So, the world just woke up and decided that it hated Leo du Pres, huh?"

"I guess everyone's just concerned that if Carlos was killed by these mob guys that were after him, then I'm going to try to get revenge on them."

"Hmm." Ryan nodded as Leo paused to take a drink.

"I don't know, Ry." Leo sighed, looking away. "I know it would be stupid of me to do something like that because I've got Greenlee and now the baby on the way, but..." Chuckling, he shook his head. "God! I feel like such a girl talking about my feelings like this."

"Yeah." Ryan laughed in agreement. "How about this though? You, concentrate on Greenlee and the baby, and I'll make sure that Juan Pablo gets whatever help he needs in going after these idiots."

"You don't have to..." Leo started.

"I want to." Ryan interrupted, nodding his head. "Not just for you, but for Simone. She's my friend too. And for Carlos, even though I didn't know him very long or very well."

"Thanks, Ryan." Leo replied, feeling more at ease now. Knowing that he probably had an upset Greenlee waiting for him at home, du Pres laid some money on the table and got up from his seat. "I've got to go."

"You're going to leave me?" a surprised Ryan asked, motioning to the pitcher. "There's still half of this left!"

"Hey," Leo grinned, "I've got Greenlee waiting at home, and it's safe for us to have make up sex until the third trimester. You really expect me to pass that up for you?"

"No." Ryan replied, waving Leo off. "What are you waiting for? Go on and get out of here!" As Leo retreated out of the door, Ryan poured himself another glass of beer. "That's my boy."

* * *

"Hey." Greenlee greeted, turning her head as the door to the apartment opened a few moments. The brown-haired woman felt a surge of relief rush through her upon seeing her husband stand there as she had been worried about him ever since he had rushed out earlier. 

"Hey." Leo replied, kissing her on top of the head before sitting down next to her. "Sorry about bolting earlier."

"We all shouldn't have confronted you like that." Greenlee shook her head, leaning into Leo. However, upon smelling something on him, she jerked her head away just as quickly. "Ew! Leo! Where the hell have you been?"

"The Roadside Bar." Leo shrugged, "Ryan and I had a few."

"How is he?" Greenlee wondered.

"He told me to stick to worrying about you and the baby." Leo smiled, massaging Greenlee's back. "He'll make sure that Juan Pablo gets whatever help he needs."

"Wow," Greenlee replied, rolling her eyes. "Between that and pursuing Kendall, he must be applying for sainthood."

"Be nice." Leo warned, playfully swatting her. "That is my best guy friend you're talking about."

"Speaking of saints," Greenlee smiled, deciding to ignore the fact that her husband reeked of cigarettes and alcohol and leaning up against him. "Bianca told me."

"Told you what?" Leo asked, not sure of what she meant.

"About her." Greenlee replied, "That she's still pregnant."

"Oh!" Leo nodded.

"You're so sweet, Leo." Greenlee complimented, "Voluntarily putting up with two pregnant women?"

"Well, I'd like to think that it's payback for you two putting up with me." Leo shrugged casually, rubbing his wife's back. "Sorry for worrying you earlier, Greens."

"It's okay." Greenlee reassured, closing her eyes.

* * *

"Nervous." Greenlee asked from where she sat on the examination table the next day. 

"Yeah." Leo chuckled from where he sat in a chair by her bedside. Clasping her hand in his, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "You?"

"More like excited." Greenlee shook her head, slipping her hand over Leo's and bringing them back down to rest on the table. Smiling, she rested her free hand on her stomach. "I can't wait to find out who's in here, Leo. I can't wait to see if it's Deanna or Benjamin."

"Yeah." Leo agreed, reaching over and touching Greenlee's swollen abdomen himself. "We won't have to call it an it anymore. It'll be him or her."

"Benjamin or Deanna." Greenlee nodded, smiling widely as the door opened. "Dr. Martin."

"Hello, Greenlee." Joe Martin greeted with a kind twinkle in his eyes. However, Leo and Greenlee were more focused on the manila envelope in his hand. "Leo."

"Dr. Martin." Leo replied, nodding his head in recognition.

"I suppose that you two would like to know what's in here." Joe smiled, holding up the envelope. "Well, first and foremost, it appears that your baby is doing just fine. He's growing and..."

"Wait a minute." Greenlee interrupted, exchanging glances with Leo. "You just said he, not it."

"Does that mean..." Leo started before words failed him.

"That's right." Joe smiled widely, pulling the ultrasound out of the envelope and handing it to the couple. "It's a little boy."

To be continued...


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry that it took so long to update.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

* * *

"A little boy." Greenlee repeated with tears in her eyes before looking at Leo, who was obviously stunned. "Leo! We're going to have a little you." 

"A little boy." Leo said happily, looking back at Greenlee. He hadn't told his wife, but he had secretly been hoping for a little boy rather than a little girl. After all, even though raising a child was still a mystery to him, he did know what little boys were like because he had been one himself at one time.

"Congratulations." Joe said, getting their attention as he headed for the door again. "Well, we're all done here, so I'll let you two go share the happy news with your families."

"Thank you, Dr. Martin." Greenlee replied as the white-haired man walked out the door. As it closed behind him, she hopped off of the exam table and sat down on Leo's lap. "We're going to have a little boy!"

"I know." an enthusiastic Leo smiled, kissing Greenlee's temple.

"You do know that this means you're going to have to share me with another man, right?" Greenlee teased, wrapping her arms around his neck. Reaching up, she planted a kiss on her husband's cheek before smiling at him. "Think you can handle it?"

"Oh," Leo grinned back, resting his hands on her elbows. "I think that I'll be able to manage." He kissed her temple again. "What do you say we get out of here and go celebrate, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan." Greenlee nodded.

* * *

"I can't believe you wanted to stop here first." Leo groaned as the elevator door opened to the offices of Fusion Cosmetics where Greenlee was a co-founder. Stepping out into the lobby area, du Pres remained where he stood, crossing his arms across his chest. A smile crossed Greenlee's face as she realized that her husband very much resembled a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. 

"It's only for a few minutes." Greenlee promised, heading into the office. "I just need to...Oh my God."

"What?" a curious Leo asked, following her into the office. He didn't need her to explain though as he soon also caught sight of Ryan making out with Kendall Hart in the middle of the main office. "Whoa!"

"Huh?" Ryan and Kendall both said, breaking apart from each other. Both the brown-haired man and the curly-haired woman immediately got guilty looks on their faces upon seeing Leo and Greenlee watching them.

"Don't you two know how to knock?" Kendall snapped, narrowing her eyes at Greenlee, her main rival.

"Last time I checked," Greenlee replied in an equally unpleasant tone. "I still worked here, Kendall!"

"Play nice." Ryan warned, getting the sense that a catfight could break out at any moment. With a smile, he turned back to Leo. "Hey man!"

"Hey." Leo greeted, exchanging high fives with him. "Sorry for leaving you alone at the bar last night, man."

"No problem." Ryan reassured as his grin widened. "So, what did the doctor say? Is the baby doing all right?"

"Yeah, the baby's doing just fine." Leo nodded, leaning up against a nearby desk. "It's a little boy."

"A boy?" Ryan repeated before giving Leo another high-five. "Awesome!"

"Thank God." Kendall breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that?" Greenlee snapped, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Kendall replied with a fake smile. "I'm just so glad that we've apparently avoided the second coming of Greenlee for the time being."

"You..." Greenlee started, taking a few steps towards Kendall.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Leo interrupted, putting restraining hands on his wife's shoulders. However, the brown-haired woman still tried to charge towards her rival. "Greenlee! Come on! You're supposed to be avoiding stress, remember?"

"How am I supposed to avoid stress with her around?" Greenlee growled, motioning towards Kendall. She glanced up at her husband pleadingly. "Throw her off of the roof for me?"

"Oh, that's nice." Kendall snapped, "Encourage your husband to commit murder!"

"You would know about husbands and murder, wouldn't you?" Greenlee replied, still trying to break away from Leo. "Mrs. Michael Cambias!"

"You little..." it was Kendall's turn to growl and head for Greenlee.

"Kendall!" Ryan scolded, grabbing the brown, curly-haired woman before she could reach the other. Like Greenlee though, she desperately tried to break away from the man restraining her. "Come on!"

"Let me go, Ryan!" Kendall begged, "Please? I promise that I won't hit her anywhere that will hurt the baby!"

"You take one step near me or my child, and I swear to God that I will..." Greenlee growled, freeing an arm and trying to swipe at Hart.

"You won't do anything." Leo interrupted before exchanging sympathetic glances with Ryan. "What are we going to do with these two?"

"I don't know." Ryan shook his head before addressing the two women. "What are you two going to do when Leo and I aren't around to separate you?"

"Never going to happen." Greenlee replied, looking between Ryan and Leo. "Leo knows that he's not allowed to leave me alone ever again."

"Trust me," Leo added, looking at Ryan. "She'd hunt me down and kill me in the afterlife if I did."

"Well, I guess that you just prove that men marry someone like their mother, Leo." Kendall remarked confidently. "Greenlee's just about as sane as Vanessa was."

"Don't you EVER compare me to that witch!" an enraged Greenlee shouted, trying harder than ever to break free from Leo's grip.

"That was uncalled for, Kendall." Leo agreed, managing to hold on.

"Yeah, it was." Ryan nodded before looking down at Kendall. "Apologize."

"To her?" a stunned Kendall asked, motioning to Greenlee. "No way!"

"I'd only tell her where to stick it." Greenlee replied, calming down slightly. Her brown eyes traveled upwards and met those of her husband. "Can we just get out of here?"

"Fine with me." Leo smiled, letting her go. "I didn't want to be here in the first place."

"I should really learn to trust your intuition." Greenlee replied, walking away to collect her things.

"I'm going to so glad when she goes on maternity leave." Kendall remarked as Ryan also let her go. Like Greenlee had before her, she also walked away to her desk, leaving the two men alone.

"Man." Leo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Screw what Greenlee said," Ryan laughed in agreement. "The both of us are probably going to die first because of the stress those two bring."

"Just wait until she gets pregnant." Leo grinned, nodding his head at Kendall. "Hormones are an entirely new type of hell, my friend. It doesn't take much for Greens to start bawling anymore and I always have no idea what she wants."

"Damn." Ryan sympathized, shaking his head. "Remind me never to get a girl pregnant." He smiled and offered his hand for du Pres to shake. "Congrats on the baby though, buddy."

"Thanks, man." Leo replied, taking Lavery's hand and pulling him into a hug.

"What's this?" David's voice suddenly said, causing Leo and Ryan to break their embrace. The older man walked into the office with his arms open questioningly. "You tell Lavery the good news before me? Some brother you are, Leo!"

"Greens wanted to stop here first." Leo shrugged before hugging his brother. "You know that you were first on my list, right?"

"Right." David smiled, hugging Leo back. "Lavery."

"Hayward." Ryan nodded in recognition.

"David!" Greenlee squealed in delight, running over and hugging her brother-in-law the minute Leo let him go. "It's so good to see you!"

"Always good to see you too." David replied, hugging the petite woman back. "So, do I have a little niece or nephew in that stomach of yours?"

"Well," Greenlee giggled as the pair broke their hug. However, she grabbed David's arms and put his hands on her stomach. "Uncle David, say hello Benjamin Montgomery du Pres."

"You named him after Trey?" a surprised Kendall commented before David could get words out. Her mouth hanging open, Hart walked back over to the group.

"I hope that that's all right." Leo said, looking at her. Kendall had been Trey's half-sibling on his father's side, and Leo had promised his younger brother he'd look after her for him.

"It's more than all right." a tearful Kendall replied, hugging Leo. "He would have been so happy to have a little nephew to spoil." She hugged Greenlee, who was taken aback momentarily. "However, if your little boy is anything like his Uncle Trey, he's definitely going to be a little troublemaker."

"I don't see how he could be in this family and not be." David chuckled, hugging Leo tightly.

"Yeah." Leo laughed in agreement before smiling at Greenlee. "Hey! I guess this means we can decorate the nursery now. We'll have to let your Mom know the good news."

"What?" a stunned David exclaimed, looking at the happy couple.

"What do you mean what?" Leo wondered.

"You're actually going to let Mary Smythe decorate a room in your house?" an equally shocked Kendall answered for David.

"No way is my nephew going to grow up in a room decorated by someone like Mary Smythe!" David added, shaking his head.

"David," a worried Leo asked, seeing Greenlee about to open her mouth. Memories of the fight the couple had had a few months prior about Greenlee's mother decorating the nursery flashed into his head. "Kendall, can I have a word with you two?" They followed him over to a spot a few feet away from Greenlee and Ryan, who had engaged in conversation themselves. "Cool it with the Mary objections!"

"Why?" Kendall said, looking at him as if he were crazy. "Leo, that woman has absolutely no taste whatsoever."

"Kendall's right." David nodded, "Besides when did you become a member of the Mary Smythe fan club?"

"I'm not," Leo reassured, "And you can chuck me into Oak Haven if I ever become one." He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "It's just that Greenlee and I got into an argument over this awhile back and she flew off into a hormone-induced fit."

"And you don't want to suffer another one of those if you don't have to." David sympathized with a smile.

"Exactly." Leo replied with a single nod.

* * *

"Jack!" Greenlee greeted cheerfully as the elevator door opened. To their surprise, Mr. and Mrs. du Pres found Greenlee's blond-haired, tall father standing outside the door to their penthouse apartment, apparently having just knocked on it. 

"I was wondering if you two had made it home yet." Jack grinned, turning around and kissing Greenlee on the cheek as she ran up to him. "Hi sweetheart. Leo."

"Jackson." Leo nodded in greeting.

"So," Jack wondered, looking between his daughter and his son-in-law as they all wandered into the apartment. "What did Joe have to say about the baby?"

"It's doing fine." Greenlee reported, smiling widely. "Both me and Ben are doing just fine."

"Ben?" a stunned Jack repeated as he and Greenlee sat down on the couch. "So that means..."

"Congratulations, Grandpa." Greenlee beamed, hugging her father. "You're going to have a grandson."

While he was silently watching Greenlee and Jack have their moment, Leo felt his cell-phone vibrate in his pocket and headed into the next room.

"Dad." he smiled, seeing the number on the Caller ID before putting the phone to his ear. "Bonjour, mon pere!"

"Someone sounds like he's in a good mood." Guy chuckled, "After last night, I..."

"Dad," Leo interrupted, shaking his head. "I'd rather not think about last night if it's all the same to you." He paused for a moment and sighed. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that. It was stupid to even think for a moment about going after those guys, especially with the baby now on the way."

"Well, we all mess up occasionally, Leo." Guy replied, leaning back in his chair. "And I'd have to be dead not to worry about you, my boy." The white-haired man decided to switch to a happier topic; the real reason he had called. "So?"

"So?" Leo teased, shrugging his shoulders.

"Don't make me cross the Atlantic just to hit you." Guy replied firmly.

"All right, all right." Leo laughed, leaning up against a nearby wall. He wished that he could see the look on his father's face. "Well, according to the doctors, it's a little boy."

"Benjamin." an overjoyed Guy said, "Congratulations, my boy. That is wonderful news."

"Yeah." Leo nodded, running his fingers through his hair. "It just makes all of this seems all the more real. He's not an it anymore; he's Ben."

"And it's a little overwhelming, right?" a sympathetic Guy assumed.

"Yeah." Leo laughed nervously, "I'm still not sure that I'm ready."

"Take it from someone who has been in your shoes, Leo," Guy confidently reassured, "You are ready. You are going to be the best father that little boy could ask for."

"You think so, huh?" a still unsure Leo replied.

"I know so." Guy nodded.

* * *

"Sounds like Leo's talking to his father." Greenlee informed, walking back into the main room from the hallway. The mother-to-be had gone to check on her husband after he had left her and her father alone. 

"How's he doing with all of this?" Jack asked as Greenlee sat back down next to him.

"I don't know." an honest Greenlee shook her head, "Some days, he's perfectly fine, and other days, he's a nervous wreck. He's so worried that, because he never had a father growing up, he's going to screw up and wreck Benjamin's life."

"New parent jitters." Jack nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, I feel the same way." Greenlee admitted, looking at the table in front of them.

"Well," Jack said, putting his arm around his daughter. "If you're looking to me to say that they'll go away, I can't do that. My own personal experience tells me that you'll have them well into Benjamin's adulthood." He rubbed her back. "You're always afraid that there's the one thing you didn't do that will come back to bite you."

"Great." a sarcastic Leo commented, entering from the hallway. "Means I'll probably go gray long before my time."

"Well," Jack teased, "I don't know about that. If you keep cutting your hair like that, you might not have any hair to go gray."

"Hey!" a defensive Leo said, running his finger through his faux hawk. He narrowed his eyes at Greenlee, who was giggling. "And you're just going to let him insult me like that?"

"You're a big boy." Greenlee replied through her laughter, "I'm sure you can handle yourself." As her chuckling slowly disappeared, she turned once more towards Jack. "You know Bianca left her jacket here yesterday. Do you think you could..."

"I'll run it over." Leo volunteered, picking the coat up off of the couch. "I need to tell her and Maggie the good news anyway." He kissed the top of Greenlee's head as he headed out the door. "Love you."

"Love you too." Greenlee smiled.

* * *

Whistling a happy tune to himself, Leo paused momentarily before reaching the door to Bianca's apartment. He blew out the last note of the song before sniffing the air. A strange odor had caught his attention. 

"Weird." he said to himself, trying to figure out what it was. Finally dismissing it as someone's bad cooking, du Pres shrugged his shoulders and knocked on the door to Bianca's apartment.

"Hey!" a cheery Bianca greeted as she opened the door.

"You forgot your coat yesterday." Leo replied, handing it over to her.

"Oh, thank you." an appreciative Bianca said, taking it before sniffing the air herself. "Do you smell that? I swear that there's a weird smell out here."

"Gee, thanks, Binks." a sarcastic Kendall greeted from behind Leo.

"I didn't mean you." Bianca reassured with a laugh.

"Whatever." Kendall replied, smiling at her sister before frowning. "It does smell a bit weird out here though."

"Yeah, like rotten eggs." Leo nodded before a thought struck him. His brown eyes went wide as he realized a possible source. "Uh oh!"

"You think it could be..." Kendall started to say before being drowned out by an explosion.

The last thing Leo could remember before a warm darkness claimed him was grabbing tightly onto Bianca and placing himself in between her and the blast.

To be continued...


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Notes: A bit later than what I would have liked, but between working (60 hours last week) and coming down with one of the many bugs going around (you do NOT want to see what I wrote while hopped up on cold meds), it couldn't be helped.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

* * *

"Ugh." Kendall groaned, putting a hand to her head as she slowly sat up. She looked around, confused at the blackened walls that surrounded her. "What..." Remembering the explosion, she widened her eyes in fear and looked around. "Leo? Bianca!" 

"I'm here." a pained Bianca replied, pushing a great weight off of her so she could sit up. The building's fire alarm started going off, causing the brown-haired woman to clamp her hands over her ears. "Kendall? What happened?"

"Some sort of explosion." Kendall coughed, crawling over to her sister. "Where's Leo?"

"Leo." Bianca repeated, remembering that du Pres had shielded her from the blast. She looked down at the weight she had pushed off her lap and, sure enough, it had been his unconscious form. "Leo! Leo! Wake up."

"Leo." Kendall coughed again as she and Bianca turned him onto his back. The older sister shook his shoulders roughly. "Leo! Come on! Wake up or Greenlee's going to kill me!" She turned her head down the hall as movement was heard. "We need some help down here!"

"He shielded me from the blast." Bianca said as Leo starting coughing. "Leo?"

"Ugh." Leo groaned as he opened his eyes.

"Thank God." Kendall sighed, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Are you all right?" Bianca wondered, looking down at du Pres.

"I think so." an unsure Leo replied, getting to his elbows. A sudden pain ripped through his body as he tried to move his right leg. "AGH!"

"What?" Kendall asked, turning back towards them. "What is it?"

* * *

"A slight concussion, minor cuts and bruises, first degree burns, smoke inhalation and a broken right ankle." Joe Martin read off as he looked at Leo's chart. From where he lay in a hospital bed nearby, Leo merely grinned as Joe shook his head. "We both know that you've survived worse, Leo." 

"Yeah." Leo chuckled, tucking his arms behind his head. "How are Kendall and Bianca?"

"They've both got some cuts and bruises, first degree burns and smoke inhalation." Joe reported, "But they're both going to be just fine, especially Bianca." He smiled approvingly at the younger man. "It seems that you took the brunt of the blast for her."

"Eh, nothing special." Leo shrugged as the door to the room opened.

"Leo!" a worried Greenlee exclaimed, immediately rushing over to her husband's side. Her brown eyes scanned his body up and down, taking note of any injuries.

"Hey, Greens." Leo greeted casually.

"What happened?" Greenlee demanded, looking him over.

"There was a natural gas explosion at Bianca's apartment building." Joe explained for Leo, "Leo, Bianca and Kendall were all outside in the hallway when it happened."

"Oh, my God." Greenlee gasped, turning her attention to the doctor. "Are Bianca and Kendall all right?"

"They're fine." Leo reassured, regaining his wife's attention. "I already asked." With a smile, he nodded down towards his right leg, which was wrapped in a white plaster cast. "Not even anything this bad."

"Thank God." an appreciative Greenlee said, caressing Leo's cheek.

"Now, Leo," Joe said, causing the du Pres couple to turn their heads back towards him. "I would like to keep you overnight for observation."

"What?" a stunned Leo asked, "Why?"

"Standard procedure with concussions." Joe explained, writing some things down on Leo's chart.

"Can't I just stay the night at David's or something?" Leo asked, trying to conceal his hatred of hospitals. "I mean he's a doctor, so it would be almost the same thing, right?"

"Not exactly." Joe chuckled, shaking his head.

"If Joe thinks that you should stay the night, honey," Greenlee weighed in, getting Leo to glance in her direction. "Then, so do I." She kissed him on top of his head. "Besides, it's only for one night."

"Fine." Leo sighed in defeat, draping his arm over his eyes.

* * *

"Oh, no." the dreaming Leo muttered as he looked around at the white void that surrounded him. He remembered running into his mother's ghost the last time he dreamed about this place and felt the familiar sense of horror that he was about to see her again. Hearing footsteps approach him, he sighed and closed his eyes. "What do you want, Vanessa?" 

"Vanessa?" Trey's voice repeated, causing Leo to turn around instantly. Sure enough, a man slightly younger and shorter than him was standing there, smiling at him. "That's insult, bro."

"Trey." Leo greeted, overjoyed to see his brother even if it was just a dream. Wiping a tear from his eye, he wrapped his arms around the other brown-haired man tightly. "It's so good to see you, man!"

"Yeah." Trey agreed, patting his brother on the back. "Sorry about using the same background as our mother did, Leo. I'll try to make sure that her spirit stays away from you." A smile appeared on his face. "Especially now that you're going to be a daddy."

"You know about that?" a surprised Leo replied.

"What?" Trey laughed, "Do you think that I don't keep my eye on you guys down there? Of course, I know about that!" As his laughter subsided, he looked appreciatively at his half-brother. "I also know that you're planning on naming him Benjamin after me."

"Well, Trey du Pres just sounded too weird," Leo shrugged, "So I thought we should use your real name."

"Thank you for that, Leo." Trey grinned, "You don't know how much it means to me that you would do that." He looked away. "Especially with everything I've done."

"You're still my brother." Leo pointed out.

"Something I thank God for every chance I get." Trey replied, "By the way, stop worrying about how you're going do as a father, man! I know for sure that you're going to be the best dad my little nephew could ask for." His grin widened. "And don't ask me how I know that because that's off limits."

"All right." Leo chuckled, not wanting to question a ghost.

"I have to go." Trey sighed, starting to fade away into nothing. He hugged his brother tightly with his still solid upper body. "I'll be keeping my eye on you guys, Leo, and you know that I'm here if you need me."

"I know." Leo nodded, hugging his brother back.

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes and looking around the darkened hospital room, Leo could just barely make out the shape of a figure sitting next to his bed. Confused, du Pres gently reached up and turned on the light above him. 

"David?"

"Hey, buddy." David grinned, straightening his brother's blanket.

"What are you doing here?" Leo asked, furrowing his brow as he glanced at the nearby clock. "It's the middle of the night!"

"Filling for someone in the cardiology department." David shrugged before patting his brother on the shoulder. "Of course, that was before I heard about you being in here and how you got in here." A proud smile appeared on the older brother's face. "I'm proud of you, Leo. Bianca could have been hurt a lot worse if you hadn't stepped in the way."

"Just did what I had to do." it was Leo's turn to shrug.

"More than a lot of people would have done." David pointed out.

"Whatever." Leo waved off, a confused look appearing on his face as his hand touched the pillow behind him. "Why's my pillow all wet?"

"You were crying in your sleep." David sighed in response.

"I was?" a slightly embarrassed Leo said, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah." a sympathetic David nodded, handing his brother a tissue. "I was about to wake you up." He squeezed Leo's shoulder. "You all right?"

"I saw Trey." Leo revealed, staring at his feet. He tried to remember the dream he had just had about his dead younger brother; a dream that had seemed all too real to him. "He told me that he's been keeping his eye on things, and he thanked me for naming the baby after him." Smiling slightly, he looked at David, who was listening silently. "He also told me to quit worrying about the whole parenting thing. He says that he somehow knows that I'm going to do just fine."

"Well, there you go." David chuckled, "Confirmation from the afterlife on what me, your father, and countless other people have been telling you all along." He ruffled Leo's hair, causing his brother to jerk away from him. "Are you finally going to accept that you're not going to screw up, and you're going to be the best father Benjamin could ever ask for?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded, "I mean I'm still unsure...but that's normal, right?"

"Right." David nodded back. Grinning, he looked at Leo's hair. "Although, I'm still thinking about having you committed for getting a hair cut like that, or suing the barber shop for a refund."

Saying nothing in response, a grinning Leo simply punched his brother in the shoulder.

* * *

"I can wheel myself, Greens." Leo promised the next morning as his wife pushed his wheelchair out into the lobby of Pine Valley Hospital. With a wide smile on his face, the tall, brown-haired man laughed as he turned in his seat and tried to remove Greenlee's hands from the handles on the chair. 

"No, you can't." Greenlee pointed out, swatting Leo's hands away. "You heard Dr. Joe, Leo. He wants you to take it easy."

"May I remind the pregnant woman that he wants you to take it easy as well?" Leo replied, wheeling himself away from Greenlee's grasp. He turned the chair, so that he faced his wife. "As do I, Greens."

"I'm fine, Leo." Greenlee giggled, "You don't have to worry about me."

"I'd have to be comatose not to worry about you, babe." Leo grinned, winking seductively at her. "You know that, right?"

"I do." Greenlee smiled back as Erica Kane entered the room and immediately headed over to the married couple. Greenlee's grin quickly disappeared upon seeing the brown-haired diva. "What do YOU want, Erica?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Erica spat at the other woman before turning to Leo. The older woman's look immediately changed from one of vindictiveness to gratitude. "I just wanted to thank you, Leo. It's only because of what you did that Bianca wasn't seriously injured yesterday."

"No big deal." Leo waved off, "Just did what was right."

"How is Bianca doing?" Greenlee interrupted to ask before Leo got the chance.

"That's the other reason I'm here." Erica replied, her look changing to one of worry. "I can't seem to find her anywhere! The staff is telling me that she's disappeared."

"What?" a stunned Greenlee exclaimed, looking at Leo.

"That doesn't sound like Bianca." Leo replied, "Why would she run away the hospital?"

Although, in his mind, du Pres realized that Bianca must have done so because she was scared of people finding out that she was pregnant, he knew that Erica didn't know this knowledge and wasn't about to share it.

"I don't know." a panicked Erica shook her head. "You're right though, Leo. This isn't like Bianca at all!"

"I'm sure that she'll turn up, Erica." Greenlee reassured, sympathizing with her usual rival. Even though Ben hadn't been born yet, Smythe-du Pres could only imagine how she'd feel if he had wandered off from the hospital after surviving a natural gas explosion. "Have you called the police? Or Jack?"

"Of course, I have." an indignant Erica replied.

"Just asking." Greenlee fired back, her sympathy starting to wane.

"All right!" Leo interrupted, wheeling himself in between the two women. "Look, standing here bitching at each other is not going to help us find Bianca." He looked up at Erica. "I'll go outside and call David and Maggie. Maybe one of them has seen her." He turned to Greenlee. "You stay here and keep her calm, all right?"

"Do I..." a wincing Greenlee started.

"Yes." Leo replied firmly before wheeling himself outside.

* * *

"God damn it." Leo exclaimed, ready to throw his cell phone against the wall. Both David and Maggie's had rolled over to voice-mail, causing du Pres to shake his head. "Hell of a time to have your phones off, guys." 

"Crisis averted." a cheerful Greenlee announced, walking outside.

"Huh?" a confused Leo asked, turning around to face her.

"Bianca just called Erica." Greenlee smiled, "She's fine. She's at Stuart Chandler's and David's already looked her over."

"Thank God." an appreciative Leo said, turning his eyes skyward.

"Come on," Greenlee grinned, "why don't I get you home and reward you with a nice sponge bath, my big, strong, superhero?"

"I could go for that." Leo nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

"Another day, another box." Greenlee commented with a smile as she crept up on her husband and kissed the back of his neck. It was a few days later and the brown-haired, pregnant woman had just gotten home from work to find the still-injured Leo sitting on the couch, going through yet another box of Vanessa's belongings. "Anything exciting?" 

"Nope." Leo shook his head, turning to face his wife. "Just more pictures and mementos of our life on the road." He sighed and rested his head against the couch. "Why did she have to leave me all of this?"

"Because she loved you best." Greenlee replied, sitting down next to her husband. "Mind if I help you go through it?"

"As long as you don't throw anything into the fireplace." Leo smiled, knowing that Greenlee would at least be tempted.

"You were such a cute little boy." Greenlee remarked, looking at some stray photographs of Leo at various stages of his childhood. "I wonder if Benjamin's going to look like you did."

"Probably." Leo yawned, stretching his arms out over his head.

"Hmmm." Greenlee nodded before picking up the last photograph in the box. It was a small but framed, black and white photograph of a little boy with a man Greenlee didn't recognize. The boy also didn't appear to be Leo. "This one doesn't look like the others, Leo. How old were you when it was taken?"

"Let me see." Leo said, taking the photograph from Greenlee. His brow furrowed in surprise and confusion as he looked at the little boy. "That's not me."

"Who is it then?" a curious Greenlee asked, looking over his shoulder.

"That man could be Charles Hayward from how Vanessa described him." Leo realized before turning towards Greenlee. "But if that's true, then..."

"The little boy is David." an equally stunned Greenlee finished.

To be continued...


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Notes: Sorry that this took so long to write...I really don't have a good excuse. LOL. Hope you all enjoy it and thank for the kind reviews you've all left me.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

* * *

"It has to be David." Leo agreed in barely audible tone, staring at the childhood picture of his older half-brother. He could tell from the eyes alone that it was, in fact, David, but that made no sense to Leo as Vanessa had always bragged about destroying any and all traces of David's father, Charles. "It has to be. I remember Vanessa telling me about Charles and that man definitely fits the bill. But..." 

"Why would Vanessa lead David to believe that she had gotten rid of every picture of his father?" an equally stunned Greenlee asked before pausing to think. A small smile appeared on her face. "Scratch that. I know why that witch would do something like that, but why would she have kept a picture of them? Why not destroy them all like she said?"

"I don't know, Greens." Leo shook his head, "It's not like Vanessa to have not held the fact that there was still one picture and only she knew where it was over David's head." He looked around at the boxes still stacked around the room. "Of course, maybe she forgot that it was in all of this stuff."

"Or maybe this is exactly where she wanted it." Greenlee suggested with a shrug.

"What do you mean?" a puzzled Leo replied.

"Think about it, Leo." Greenlee explained, "If Vanessa had her way, you would have probably never even met David until after she was gone."

"She did regret bringing me here." Leo nodded, remembering his mother saying something of that sort. However, his nod quickly turned into another shake of his head. "But that doesn't make sense, Greenlee. When I was growing up, she always told me stories about David and how great he was. If she didn't want me to meet him, then why..." His voice trailed off and turned into a hearty chuckle. "Why are we trying to figure out Vanessa's warped logic?"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"I wonder who that could be." Greenlee said, trying her attention to the door.

"I don't know." Leo shrugged, getting up to answer it. As he opened the door, no person was revealed but a large, pine tree was standing there, apparently on its own. "What the hell..."

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" David's voice called out from somewhere behind the tree. "Merry Christmas, little brother." The dark-haired doctor managed to peer out from behind the object. "Greenlee."

"David." Greenlee giggled, joining a confused Leo. "What's with the tree?"

"See? I knew it." David teased, rolling his eyes. "With the pregnancy and Leo playing Superman, you two seem to have completely forgotten that Christmas is only a week away." He nodded at his brother. "Here! Help me get this inside, will you? I don't think your landlord would appreciate having to clean up a whole bunch of needles."

"All right." Leo grinned, grabbing the trunk.

"Okay." David said, entering the apartment. "Now, where we going with this?" "Hmmm." an indecisive Greenlee replied, looking around. "Over there in the corner. Right by the fireplace." A thought suddenly crossed her mind. "Should Leo be lifting something so soon?"

"Do you really think David would have asked me to if I shouldn't?" Leo teased as he and David carried the tree over to where Greenlee had specified. As they sat it down, Leo pretended to wipe sweat from his brow and took a deep breath. "Man! Got my exercise for the day."

"Oh, be quiet." Greenlee fired back, grabbing a throw pillow off of the couch and throwing it at her husband.

"Want me to take him out back and beat him for you?" a grinning David offered.

"That's all right, David." Greenlee reassured before remembering the photograph that was lying on the nearby couch. "Oh! We have something for you. Something you're really going to like."

"Greenlee, wait!" a panicked Leo said, putting his hand out for emphasis. "We don't even know if it is him, so..."

"If what's me?" David interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Why get his hopes up if it isn't?" Leo finished, ignoring his brother.

"Well, how are we supposed to know who it is if we don't ask him?" Greenlee replied, looking at her husband, who she felt was freaking out for no apparent reason.

"But if it's not him, I don't want him to..." Leo still tried to argue.

"If what's not me?" David demanded, getting both Leo and Greenlee's attention. He turned to his silent brother, who still appeared reluctant. "Come on, Leo. What's going on here?"

"Well," Leo sighed, picking up the photograph and handing it to David. "We found this while going through Vanessa's stuff earlier." Saying nothing, Hayward just stared at the photograph. "It's not me and I know that, from what Vanessa told me, that man could pass as your father, so..."

"My God..." David whispered, causing Leo to stop talking. Tears started to fall down the dark-haired man's face as he looked at the photograph in his hands; the lone relic from his childhood. "I can't...Why would she..." "Oh, David." a tearful Greenlee empathized, hugging her brother-in-law. "So, the little boy IS you?"

"Yeah," David smiled, wiping his eyes with one hand and hugging Greenlee with the other. "Yeah, that's me and my dad." Wiping his eyes hadn't helped as the tears were still continuing to fall. "I can't believe this. She told me so many times that she destroyed everything. What kind of a mother does that?"

"She's always been possessive of us, David." Leo pointed out, crossing his arms across his chest. "Look at everything Vanessa's done! Encouraging your father to kill himself, telling you that she had destroyed any trace of him, never telling my father about me, and almost letting me die, believing that Guy du Pres wasn't my father."

"She was a sick puppy." David nodded, looking up at the ceiling.

"We're better off without her." Leo agreed, putting his arm around David as Greenlee let him go. Not wanting to talk about their mother anymore, Leo looked down at the picture. "You look so happy in this picture, man. When was it taken?"

* * *

"Ahh..." a content, half-naked Leo sighed as he laid upon his bed on his stomach. Resting his head on his forearms, du Pres couldn't think about anything besides how good the massage he was currently getting from Greenlee felt. 

"Now, don't fall asleep on me like last time." Greenlee teased, slowly and gently rubbing her husband's shoulders.

"I can't help it if your massages are relaxing, Greens." Leo commented, raising his head up momentarily. Closing his eyes, he quickly lowered his head once more as Greenlee's hands reached a tense spot. "MMMM..."

"So, David sure seemed to like his Christmas present." Greenlee said, thinking back on that afternoon. She waited silently a few moments for her husband to respond. "Leo?"

"Hmm?" Leo replied sleepily, opening an eyeball.

"Pay attention." Greenlee giggled, smacking him in the butt. "I was trying to talk about David and what happened this afternoon."

"I don't want to, Greenlee." Leo sighed, staring straight ahead.

"Why not? a confused Greenlee asked, "It was awesome that we found that picture for David."

"Yeah," Leo replied, sitting up. "Don't get me wrong, Greens. It's great that we were able to do that for him, but..." He sighed and looked down at the floor. "David was right. What kind of mother does that to their child?"

"Vanessa wasn't exactly Mother of the Year material." Greenlee nodded, "But you knew that, Leo."

"And that's what terrifies me the most about Ben, Greenlee." Leo replied, looking up at his wife as she sat down in his lap. "Vanessa's blood runs through my veins and for far too long, I was like a miniature version of her."

"You are nothing like Vanessa anymore, Leo!" Greenlee interrupted, stroking her husband's hair. "You would NEVER intentionally hurt our son." Seeing him open his mouth to reply, she put a finger to Leo's lips. "You know what I see when I look at you?"

"A goofball with messed up Mommy issues?" a teasing Leo shrugged.

"No." Greenlee giggled momentarily before returning to a more serious tone. "I see your father, Leo."

"Dad?" a puzzled Leo repeated.

"Yeah." Greenlee nodded, "If you inherited anyone's personality, Leo, it's definitely Guy's. You're both charming, strong men, and I pray to God every day that our Ben turns out like his father and his grandfather."

"Thanks, Greenlee." Leo smiled, pausing to kiss his wife on the cheek. "You don't know how much I needed to hear that." A small laugh escaped him and he shook his brown-haired head. "How come I'm the only one that seems to be having any doubts about this?"

"Because your mother did a real number on you." Greenlee answered, wrapping her arms around Leo. "You and David both." She shook her own head in disgust. "You know, I think about Ben and I wonder how any mother could treat their child the way yours treated you? Of course, it's not like my mother was much better." She sighed as she thought about her own childhood. "Never home and always fighting with Roger when she was. Trust me, Leo. It wasn't much better than what you had."

"Doesn't sound like it." Leo agreed, putting his hand on her elbow. "But I bet both Guy and Jack would have made awesome parents if they had been given the opportunity."

"Oh, definitely." Greenlee nodded, "Just look at how Jack treats Reggie." Pausing momentarily, she looked Leo directly in the eyes. "Let's make a promise that, no matter what happens, we'll give our children the kind of childhood that Guy and Jack would have given us, and not what we got instead."

"Deal." Leo grinned, kissing her on the cheek once more.

* * *

Starting to hear the faint sounds of "Jingle Bells" coming from the main room, an up-until-this-point-sleeping Greenlee opened an eyeball to see an empty bed beside her. 

"Leo?" she yawned, sitting up slowly and looking around the darkened bedroom. "Leo? He never gets up earlier than me..." She glanced at the nearby alarm clock. "Or earlier than 10 am for that matter. Leo?"

"Joyeux noel, Greens!" a grinning Leo exclaimed, walking into the bedroom with a Santa hat on. His smile widened as he sat down and put his hands on Greenlee's stomach. "Joyeux noel, little guy."

"What's gotten into you?" Greenlee giggled, "You're never up this early."

"What's gotten into me?" a stunned Leo repeated before laughing. "It's Christmas morning, Greenlee! Our first official Christmas as a married couple."

"Some Christmas." Greenlee scoffed, lying back in bed. "We didn't even get the tree decorated, Leo. Remember? I've been too busy at work."

"The tree didn't get decorated?" a surprised Leo asked.

"No." Greenlee replied, shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Leo asked again with a slight smile.

"Leo." Greenlee whined, throwing off the covers and sitting up in bed. "I don't have time for you to play stupid this early in the morning." Getting up, she roughly pushed past her husband and started to head into the living room. "You know that we were going to..."

The minute the brown-haired woman entered the living room, all words left her and she stared open-mouth around the room. Not only had the tree been elaborately decorated, but fake snow now lined the fireplace mantle, strings of holly hung from the ceiling, a crackling fire was roaring away in the fireplace and a little toy train was making its rounds around the room, occasionally letting out a whistle.

"Leo." a stunned Greenlee breathed, turning to face her beaming husband. "Did you..."

"Wasn't me." Leo lied with a wide grin on his face. "Might have been Santa Claus, but..."

"Liar." Greenlee giggled, playfully smacking her husband.

"Hey!" Leo laughed, moving away from her. "None of that, or you won't get any of the special Christmas breakfast I made for you."

"I can't believe you did all of this." a still-stunned Greenlee said, looking around the room. "This is absolutely amazing! How did you manage to do all of this and not wake me up?"

"Elves." Leo grinned, draping his arms over her shoulders. "Just think, Greenlee. Next year at this time, Ben's going to be finding out what Santa Claus brought him."

"And Santa Claus is going to bring him quite a bit, right?" Greenlee smiled up at Leo. She paused as her eyes focused on something hanging above Leo's head. "Mistletoe."

"Huh?" Leo replied in mock surprise, looking up as well. "How'd that get up there? Those elves..."

"Knew to put it right next to the bedroom?" Greenlee giggled, seeing through Leo's act.

"Maybe." a chuckling Leo shrugged, "Or maybe I was just hoping that I'd be getting a certain something for Christmas."

"Not tonight, sweetie." Greenlee shook her head, "Not when we have to leave for Paris tomorrow morning for Zo?s engagement party, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." Leo nodded, remembering that they had plans.

"But," Greenlee said, standing on her tiptoes so she could kiss her husband. "You definitely have a rain check on that." Suddenly, she put her hands on her stomach. " Ow!"

"What?" a worried Leo asked.

"Nothing." Greenlee reassured, "Ben just kicked." She giggled as Leo put his hands over hers. "Apparently, someone doesn't feel comfortable about his parents making out while he's in the room."

"Oh, really?" Leo laughed, looking at Greenlee's stomach. "We're going to have to remember that. Kid's going to break a record for being sent to his room."

"He's our child." Greenlee replied, still laughing herself. "I'd expect nothing less."

To be continued...


End file.
